tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84864588423441321282017-09-15T19:59:10.415-05:00GranthamaniaThis Texas mommy's life-style blog chronicles the lives of my 'normal' family. We love laughing, the outdoors, eating good food and spending time together. We hope you enjoy the mundane details of our life.Kimberly Granthamhttps://plus.google.com/109488428214883132247noreply@blogger.comBlogger409125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486458842344132128.post-7365550350825383462017-07-11T22:19:00.001-05:002017-07-11T22:19:18.518-05:00California or BustI will start by saying that we made it to Mountain View, CA! 5 days of travel and 4 days of driving. It was an epic adventure for our little family.<br /><br />Day 1 Was spent driving from Our home to Carlsbad, NM. We stayed there overnight and went to see the caverns the next morning. I had been to the caverns as a teenager, but I had forgotten how truly breathtaking and enormous the caverns are. Mark and I were both a little uneasy as we took our girls down 700+ feet into the earth. When you look around and see all the fallen limestone and consider the way the caverns were formed, it makes you feel more than a little at the mercy of God and nature. <br /><br />Mark has most of the pictures from the caverns. I will eventually come back and post more. But there are a few from that quick venture. In fact, it may take a while for me to get pictures up at all. I'm without a computer here and blogging from my phone is a little difficult. On that note, forgive my typos...phone typing is hazardous.<br /><br />Day 2 - We went to explore the caverns in the morning. We were finished by about 10:30, so we drove to Phoenix by way of El Paso and Tucson. That wasn't a very exciting day, but it went quick until we got to Phoenix. We didn't get there until after the sun went down. Driving through an unknown city at dark isn't every much fun.<br /><br />Day 3 - We drove from Phoenix to Las Vegas. It was the shortest drive of our entire trip. It was only about 5 hours, but it felt so long. There is nothing....NOTHING between Vegas and Phoenix. It's desert...Joshua Trees and Cactus. We ran across two gas stations in the same "city." It was so crowded...I image they make a killing. I'm glad we filled up before we hit the road. Haha. I'm kidding mom. We never even considered leaving a city without putting gas in the car...we were aware that we would be driving through desolate areas.<br /><br />We arrive fairly early in Vegas where we stayed at Circus Circus. I DO NOT recommend that place. The amusement park was fantastic and the employees are great, but the hotel hasn't been renovated since 1996 and it shows. The carpet was filthy, the bathroom only had scalding hot water and the hotel is about a mile from anything else. Hey, it was a free room...thank you credit card points! We just won't be back.<br /><br />We spent two nights in Vegas. The first night we ate pizza, went to the pool (which was salty and I'm pretty sure it wasn't a salt water pool...yuck!) and then walked down to watch the volcano show at the Mirage.<br /><br />The next day we went to the amusement park inside Circus Circus. That was a blast! Chloe went on her first double loop roller coaster! MJ went on the carousel and hated the frog hopper bouncer. We put her up there because she was begging to go. As soon as it went up in the air, I regretted letting her go. I knew she was going to flip out because she hates swings when they go too high. I suspect she doesn't like having her stomach drop. Anyway, she completely melts down. Screaming, crying and shaking. We could only watch and hope it ended soon. We spent the rest of the day working through that experience.<br /><br />After the amusement park, we took a cab down to Flamingo so we could have lunch at Margaritaville. Then we walked over to Bellagio so we could watch the fountains. The girls loved that! They even got to watch some baby ducks swim around the fountain. We rested a while a Ceasars Palace and then took a cab back to our hotel. We went on a few more rides and then called it a night.<br /><br />Day 5 - It was a long haul to Mountain View. It was about an 8 hours drive. We were all ready to done driving, but the girls did great. They didn't ask if we were there yet or whine much. They were a little upset that we forgot to charge their tabs. That was a bummer.<br /><br />Coming soon...our temporary home.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Kimberly Granthamhttps://plus.google.com/109488428214883132247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486458842344132128.post-78111874139356064432017-07-03T08:41:00.001-05:002017-07-03T08:46:31.891-05:00A little over 3 years ago...It's been a little over 3 years since I last posted. I can hardly believe it.<br /><br />Leaving the blog was intentional. I didn't announce my departure because this blog was for our family records and not an audience; although, the blog friends I made along the way were a nice little bonus. It was fun to see other people's families adventures and growth.<br /><br />I've realized in the past 3 years that our family's best kept records are via social media...Facebook and Instagram provide a great space for our highlight reel, but it doesn't allow much of a platform in the way of details. Sometimes the details, funny stories and emotions of the moment matter. I don't want to forget the all the nuances of our little life. The blog has the best format for the detail and I don't feel like I'm annoying our friends with lengthy posts.<br /><br />The catalyst in all this is a grand adventure for our little crew and one I don't want to forget. We are embarking on a trip to California...not for vacation and not for a permanent residence change. What else is there? I guess I will call it a 'workcation.' My husband's company is based in Australia, but one of their main offices is in Mountain View, CA. We will be joining him for nearly a month in Mountain View while he works more closely with some managers out there. We will be staying in an Apartment while we are out there...2 bedroom, 2 bath. It's not big, but I'm thankful we aren't in a hotel for the 2.5 weeks in Cali.<br /><br />The rest of our almost-month-long trip will be spent driving. Yes, driving. We will be traveling over 1700 miles across the western half of the United States with two children, ages 4 and 7. This isn't going to be easy folks, but we are going to embrace the chaos and crappy moods.<br /><br />The first leg of our trip will be a 7ish hour trek to Carlsbad, NM. We are going to take a very quick tour of the caverns with the kiddos. Stay tuned for "Grantham's Go West: New Mexico."<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q3xtCifCQPg/WVpJX3BJbOI/AAAAAAAAFE0/m_6Dliz-HKU-plxhZr3vEzP9GU0vvhQwQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1079" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q3xtCifCQPg/WVpJX3BJbOI/AAAAAAAAFE0/m_6Dliz-HKU-plxhZr3vEzP9GU0vvhQwQCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_5044.jpg" width="215" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is us now...3 years later.<br />The Granthamaniacs.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Kimberly Granthamhttps://plus.google.com/109488428214883132247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486458842344132128.post-18902259969799807552014-05-11T18:48:00.000-05:002014-05-11T18:51:32.619-05:00Mackenzie - 11 Months<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-uOg0VAzEXyQ/U3ALNb1cW9I/AAAAAAAAEUg/kiffr3DhAOE/s640/blogger-image-1650841304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-uOg0VAzEXyQ/U3ALNb1cW9I/AAAAAAAAEUg/kiffr3DhAOE/s640/blogger-image-1650841304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-r30Ek-KWp78/U3ALTY3b4bI/AAAAAAAAEUw/Ihly4aoslP0/s640/blogger-image--179310163.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-r30Ek-KWp78/U3ALTY3b4bI/AAAAAAAAEUw/Ihly4aoslP0/s640/blogger-image--179310163.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8hsUZjeKSzE/U3ALWezhUgI/AAAAAAAAEU4/yU2ytmjl7vU/s640/blogger-image-1969835090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div><br /><br /><br />Mackenzie,<br /><br />It's May 11, 2014 (Mother's Day) and you are 11 months old today.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rqgP9nnikso/U3AJh5k5U2I/AAAAAAAAET0/DnURKKdOCLU/s1600/11months.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rqgP9nnikso/U3AJh5k5U2I/AAAAAAAAET0/DnURKKdOCLU/s1600/11months.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />&nbsp;Your personality grows with every milestone you hit. You really came out of your shell when you started crawling and pulling up on things. You have stood up a few times without hands. I think you are a few months away from walking. <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BkcU7bd7AGI/U3AJw4qOe9I/AAAAAAAAEUA/HdpEKCziPxg/s1600/DSC_1066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BkcU7bd7AGI/U3AJw4qOe9I/AAAAAAAAEUA/HdpEKCziPxg/s1600/DSC_1066.JPG" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chloe showed you how to play the piano</td></tr></tbody></table><br />You are talking a little. You say "uh-oh," "hi" and "up." You tried to say ball and you are so close to ma-ma and da-da in the correct context. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-cubIhqZSAWo/U3ALZqkJ17I/AAAAAAAAEVA/QdQTmPAxyFo/s640/blogger-image--194532373.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-cubIhqZSAWo/U3ALZqkJ17I/AAAAAAAAEVA/QdQTmPAxyFo/s320/blogger-image--194532373.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />You love to look at pictures of yourself. There is a 8x10 in the hall of you and we have to point at it and talk about it every time we walk past it. You laugh when we tell you, "That's Mackenzie. That's you!" <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ogZfrZDYrYE/U3AJ2e3K-mI/AAAAAAAAEUU/3X4SaenEgvk/s1600/DSC_1078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ogZfrZDYrYE/U3AJ2e3K-mI/AAAAAAAAEUU/3X4SaenEgvk/s1600/DSC_1078.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>You still take two naps a day. You are so sleepy...you go to bed around 6 or 7 and don't wake up until 7 the next morning. All that sleep and you still take long naps. Every now and then you'll skip your second nap. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-uOg0VAzEXyQ/U3ALNb1cW9I/AAAAAAAAEUg/kiffr3DhAOE/s1600/blogger-image-1650841304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-uOg0VAzEXyQ/U3ALNb1cW9I/AAAAAAAAEUg/kiffr3DhAOE/s320/blogger-image-1650841304.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />You adore Chloe and you enjoy chasing her around the house. Most of the time Chloe enjoys it, too. You love being outside and bounce and wave your arms like mad when I raise the garage so we can go for a walk. It's difficult to have you outside because you want to be on the ground crawling. That's fine, but you also like to eat everything you find on the ground and we have too many acorns and leaves for that to be safe.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8hsUZjeKSzE/U3ALWezhUgI/AAAAAAAAEU4/yU2ytmjl7vU/s1600/blogger-image-1969835090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8hsUZjeKSzE/U3ALWezhUgI/AAAAAAAAEU4/yU2ytmjl7vU/s320/blogger-image-1969835090.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">first spaghetti dinner</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-THGs9Fl-0Wg/U3AJw2rzjLI/AAAAAAAAET8/0O1fCPmnPhU/s1600/DSC_1059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-THGs9Fl-0Wg/U3AJw2rzjLI/AAAAAAAAET8/0O1fCPmnPhU/s1600/DSC_1059.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></div><br />Your favorite foods are broccoli and bananas. You are doing well with your sippy cup but you really don't want your formula in it at all. Only water. Not sure how well this transition from the bottle is going to go next month. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dmDtXe8ij5c/U3AJxGygCPI/AAAAAAAAEUE/17zpsfQO8VI/s1600/DSC_1063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dmDtXe8ij5c/U3AJxGygCPI/AAAAAAAAEUE/17zpsfQO8VI/s1600/DSC_1063.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">love those legs</td></tr></tbody></table>We took you to the church nursery a few weeks ago and you were hyperventilating from being so upset. You really are quite cautious of strangers. Your separation anxiety is going away, but VERY slowly. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-r30Ek-KWp78/U3ALTY3b4bI/AAAAAAAAEUw/Ihly4aoslP0/s1600/blogger-image--179310163.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-r30Ek-KWp78/U3ALTY3b4bI/AAAAAAAAEUw/Ihly4aoslP0/s320/blogger-image--179310163.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">your father's daughter</td></tr></tbody></table>You are wearing 9-12 month clothing and size 4 diapers. You are wearing a size 2 shoe. You're hair is getting blonder by the day and your dimples are still so adorable! :)<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-FS9VM5KOjrg/U3ALQZYD6TI/AAAAAAAAEUo/I_Xdl0PiR5M/s640/blogger-image-1057013062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-FS9VM5KOjrg/U3ALQZYD6TI/AAAAAAAAEUo/I_Xdl0PiR5M/s320/blogger-image-1057013062.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">new swim cap we found shopping with Shorty</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />We love you Mackenzie Jewel!Kimberly Granthamhttps://plus.google.com/109488428214883132247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486458842344132128.post-74412832750382370872014-04-11T12:22:00.000-05:002014-04-15T12:23:26.299-05:00Mackenzie - 10 MonthsMackenzie,<br /><br />Today is April 11, 2014 and you are 10 months old!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DwLrvco2Q_o/U01pafL3UDI/AAAAAAAAESQ/-mvM_wZlYp8/s1600/10mo_words.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DwLrvco2Q_o/U01pafL3UDI/AAAAAAAAESQ/-mvM_wZlYp8/s1600/10mo_words.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />You started pulling up to stand yesterday. I think you are a little late, but once you started pulling up you were a pro...like most things you do. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-WKMA73Q27Tk/U01qIIcwjkI/AAAAAAAAESg/oA5k7sYnQlE/s640/blogger-image--1442301208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-WKMA73Q27Tk/U01qIIcwjkI/AAAAAAAAESg/oA5k7sYnQlE/s320/blogger-image--1442301208.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">using everything you can to pull up</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>You are eating two and sometimes three solids meals a day. You are drinking out of your sippy cup like a pro. I need to start switching your formula to the sippy cup with your meals.<br /><br />Your favorite things are still your sister and bathtime. You really enjoy being outdoors, but it's a challenge for me since you want to eat the leaves.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-36OcVq5tob4/U01okekkOkI/AAAAAAAAESI/sk7GDvL34WA/s1600/mj_carriepreset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-36OcVq5tob4/U01okekkOkI/AAAAAAAAESI/sk7GDvL34WA/s1600/mj_carriepreset.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div><br />You laugh a lot these days...mostly at Chloe. You girls are really great together.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-kEGguzY2QnM/U01qFPZKPII/AAAAAAAAESY/1HD8kgbpdFY/s640/blogger-image--1537231770.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-kEGguzY2QnM/U01qFPZKPII/AAAAAAAAESY/1HD8kgbpdFY/s320/blogger-image--1537231770.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">goober</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>You are saying mama, dada and baba. But I still don't think you are using them for any particular reason. I swear you've said "up" and "hi" a few times. It's a bit early, but Chloe talked early, too. I have my listening ears on now every time I'm with you to see if what I think I'm hearing is real.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-u-9G-dSNo8M/U01qKx4YRTI/AAAAAAAAESo/WFFjzh2Hnqg/s640/blogger-image--543533762.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-u-9G-dSNo8M/U01qKx4YRTI/AAAAAAAAESo/WFFjzh2Hnqg/s320/blogger-image--543533762.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my Texas girls in the bluebonnets</td></tr></tbody></table>You can clap and wave now. You really only wave if we say "bye-bye." You are also pointing. The other night at dinner you thought it was funny to point at dad while you were eating. You guys spent a few minutes pointing at each other and amusing yourselves.<br /><br />You are about to celebrate your first Easter! Shorty made these two dresses for you and Chloe.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zVnv_VdTH0o/U01ocuEStZI/AAAAAAAAESA/k2LgiASlG4o/s1600/sisters_carriepreset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zVnv_VdTH0o/U01ocuEStZI/AAAAAAAAESA/k2LgiASlG4o/s1600/sisters_carriepreset.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sisters - Easter 2014</td></tr></tbody></table><span id="goog_1035190330"></span><span id="goog_1035190331"></span><br /><br />I can't believe we will be celebrating your first birthday in two short months!<br /><br />We love you, MJ!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Kimberly Granthamhttps://plus.google.com/109488428214883132247noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486458842344132128.post-46174762817309715442014-03-20T10:31:00.001-05:002014-03-20T12:12:00.426-05:00Chloe at 3 1/2<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I haven't shared much about Chloe lately. She has always been such a light in our lives. Every single day she gets funnier, cuter and more brilliant. This post will be a little all-over-the-place, but it goes with Chloe's personality.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Some of her favorite things are donuts, ice cream and watermelon slush from Sonic (we limit these things). She loves spending time with any and all of her friends. Her favorite movies right now are Ghostbusters, The Nightmare Before Christmas (she calls it ChristmasHalloween) and Cars. Although, we recently added Frozen to the favorites list. (Hooray a chick movie!) Her favorite toys are her cars. She enjoys coloring and riding her new bike.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nfYFtrdnoyo/UysBmYF9OjI/AAAAAAAAEQ8/vL51eYUoBK4/s1600/DSC_0862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nfYFtrdnoyo/UysBmYF9OjI/AAAAAAAAEQ8/vL51eYUoBK4/s1600/DSC_0862.JPG" height="320" width="212"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">new big girl bike!</td></tr></tbody></table><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tRlJeQUiWNo/UysBt-0g3KI/AAAAAAAAERE/B9aGhNHRrxU/s1600/DSC_0891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tRlJeQUiWNo/UysBt-0g3KI/AAAAAAAAERE/B9aGhNHRrxU/s1600/DSC_0891.JPG" height="320" width="212"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">such a happy girl</td></tr></tbody></table><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="" style="clear: both;">She cracks me up. If she doesn't like what I tell her she says, "Mom, you are making me VERY serious." I really should write down every funny thing she says. Yesterday she told me that she is going to marry me when she gets older. I told her I was already married to Mark and I could only be married to one person. She said, "that's ok. I'll marry you when I'm bigger."&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We are in a big "Why" stage. Everything that happens she asks us why. If Mark and I are together, she will ask us both almost like she doesn't believe what the other one says.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">She has also started telling fibs and lies. We had to explain the difference between the truth and a lie. I think she is starting to understand.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We had a parent/teacher conference a few months ago. Her teachers are pleased with her development. Where she really shines is in her physical abilities. They said she is advanced with her gross motor skills like jumping, climbing ladders and standing one one foot. They also said that she does an excellent job at concentrating on her work and will work diligently to finish any school work. Circle time is another story. When she doesn't have something to do with her hands she finds it very difficult to focus.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J6O4PHDGNVQ/UysBmDRV_VI/AAAAAAAAEQ0/hx0srmY-b3k/s1600/DSC_0900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J6O4PHDGNVQ/UysBmDRV_VI/AAAAAAAAEQ0/hx0srmY-b3k/s1600/DSC_0900.JPG" height="212" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">she drew a picture of a "ghostbuster and a slutty ghost"<br>She meant slimmy, but she keeps saying slutty and I think it's hilarious!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">With her physical abilities in mind, we put her in a soccer camp that started this past Monday, March 17, 2014. She had a choice between soccer, ballet and gymnastics. It was no surprise she chose soccer. It's really the only thing she knew. We play with her soccer ball at the park and in the front yard quite a bit. I have to say she really is a natural. I'm impressed by how much control she has at 3.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br><iframe allowFullScreen='true' webkitallowfullscreen='true' mozallowfullscreen='true' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/7rWVMYr1ung?feature=player_embedded' FRAMEBORDER='0' /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">She's writing her name well. She can spell her name, mom and dad. She knows her alphabet and can write all her letters. She knows the sounds the letters make and we are working on some phonics books so she can start learning to read. She has memorized several books and can 'read' one particular book (Just a Little Luck...A little critter book) word-for-word. I love hearing her sweet little voice tell me the story.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9cMmaWjVDLE/Uyr-V8Nl5mI/AAAAAAAAEQY/onTMUchxLng/s640/blogger-image--1199109161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9cMmaWjVDLE/Uyr-V8Nl5mI/AAAAAAAAEQY/onTMUchxLng/s320/blogger-image--1199109161.jpg" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Seuss Day at school...she dressed up as Fox in Socks</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I let her get on the computer twice now. The first time I showed her how to use the mouse and the second time she was an expert. It amazes me how fast these little ones absorb information. The only reason I even let her on the computer was because she kept asking me to "watch PBS kids dot org." I tried to explain that it wasn't something to watch, but rather a website. So I took her to the computer and showed her what <a href="http://pbskids.org/">PBSkids.org</a> is.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-7k9CJojw50Q/Uyr-P10IFXI/AAAAAAAAEQI/trP1MQn7iB0/s640/blogger-image-556304896.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-7k9CJojw50Q/Uyr-P10IFXI/AAAAAAAAEQI/trP1MQn7iB0/s320/blogger-image-556304896.jpg" width="240"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crazy Hair Day - Fauxhawk</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ZaczqU34_9E/Uyr-cTqCIEI/AAAAAAAAEQo/Y-YdtdkKcqg/s640/blogger-image--2037822726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ZaczqU34_9E/Uyr-cTqCIEI/AAAAAAAAEQo/Y-YdtdkKcqg/s320/blogger-image--2037822726.jpg" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her dislocated elbow. The doctor at the ER gave her a wrist brace.<br>That helped a lot <sarcasm></sarcasm></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">She had to go to the Emergency room in January. She fell off the couch an dislocated her elbow. I thought she had broken her wrist. But apparently a nursemaid elbow does funny things to your nerves and was making her think it was her wrist when it was actually her elbow that hurt. Anyway, the doctor at the hospital was no help. They gave her a wrist brace and some Tylenol. That night she kept waking up screaming. She said, "Mommy, my arm isn't being very nice." I took her to the pediatrician on Monday (two days later) and they immediately realized the problem and reset her elbow. 20 minutes later she was pain free. I love our pediatrician and all the staff! ***Just to be clear. We went to the doctor two days later because it was a weekend and they were closed...not because I was ignoring my daughter's pain.***</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">She has also had two ear infections. We went 3 1/2 years without any and then had two in 2 months time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RsbTfREg1FY/Uyr-ZSFr4VI/AAAAAAAAEQg/Uyd2ZiAWIig/s640/blogger-image-193919858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RsbTfREg1FY/Uyr-ZSFr4VI/AAAAAAAAEQg/Uyd2ZiAWIig/s320/blogger-image-193919858.jpg" width="240"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">picture from Chloe's teacher. She put her coat on upside down.<br>Miss Caitlynn thought it was funny because it looks like a bustle.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-LevJHTMSnrc/Uyr-Sz-Ak7I/AAAAAAAAEQQ/3z_qTBdjH80/s640/blogger-image--232315849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-LevJHTMSnrc/Uyr-Sz-Ak7I/AAAAAAAAEQQ/3z_qTBdjH80/s320/blogger-image--232315849.jpg" width="240"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">riding go-carts with daddy<br>Chloe loves race cars!</td></tr></tbody></table>Chloe also loves to sing. She loves Roar by Katy Perry and Let It Go from Frozen. She's also been singing Happy by Pharrell Williams. She dances a lot and it's really funny. I need to get it on video, but I doubt she would let me.<br><br><br><br>Kimberly Granthamhttps://plus.google.com/109488428214883132247noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486458842344132128.post-84348361867016085232014-03-11T16:25:00.001-05:002014-03-11T16:25:17.779-05:00Mackenzie - 9 MonthsMackenzie Jewel,<br /><div><br /></div><div>It's March 11, 2014 and you are 9 months old today. I remember this time last year. We were at the rodeo and you weren't due for another 3 months. Now you are here with us!<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-micBF_WeSF4/Ux97452IfkI/AAAAAAAAEP4/YINCnlZosrE/s1600/DSC_0883_edit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-micBF_WeSF4/Ux97452IfkI/AAAAAAAAEP4/YINCnlZosrE/s1600/DSC_0883_edit.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">9 months old</td></tr></tbody></table>You are crawling now and starting to pull up. You haven't made it onto your feet yet, but you are getting on your knees and getting pretty close. You have a bruise on your cheek where you crashed trying to pull up on the wall.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-85gwkzfyjqc/Ux96MI_Qe8I/AAAAAAAAEPM/_wcYeUqRnuk/s1600/DSC_0824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-85gwkzfyjqc/Ux96MI_Qe8I/AAAAAAAAEPM/_wcYeUqRnuk/s1600/DSC_0824.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">inspecting the grass. probably watching your sister.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Your favorite things are: your sister, being outside and bath time. You dislike: being fed, having your nose wiped and when we take something away from you.<div><br /></div><div>You have 5 teeth. You are starting to use your pincer grasp to feed yourself. You have refused to eat baby food the past week and only want things you can pick up yourself. I'm still not able to get you to use a sippy cup very well. We have three months to get it done.&nbsp;</div><div><br /><div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-XoGTWPNvskQ/Ux9yUehzXcI/AAAAAAAAEOg/BT7aQ4xc8rA/s640/blogger-image-1427497007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-XoGTWPNvskQ/Ux9yUehzXcI/AAAAAAAAEOg/BT7aQ4xc8rA/s320/blogger-image-1427497007.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You are always pretty serious. Seriously cute.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-qv2J-6g85Ic/Ux9yXGVcK8I/AAAAAAAAEOo/A7krPYZ2m7U/s640/blogger-image--1531215200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-qv2J-6g85Ic/Ux9yXGVcK8I/AAAAAAAAEOo/A7krPYZ2m7U/s320/blogger-image--1531215200.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You love any attention from your big sister.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />You are still sleeping from 6:00pm to 6:30am. Thankfully time changed so now it's more like 7-7:30. Your 6pm bedtime made it hard to do anything in the evening. You take 2-3 naps. Usually only 2.<br /><br />You are saying baba, dada and mama. Just the sounds. You aren't associating them with anything.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MQcC5kA-Jk4/Ux96L-XtA_I/AAAAAAAAEPI/fY7MRKTXRkE/s1600/DSC_0832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MQcC5kA-Jk4/Ux96L-XtA_I/AAAAAAAAEPI/fY7MRKTXRkE/s1600/DSC_0832.JPG" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">eating the grass</td></tr></tbody></table>&nbsp;You love being outside in the grass. If we open the door, you crawl as fast as you can towards it. Sometimes we get some tears when you don't make it before we shut the door.<br /><br />This brings me to my next point. I've always said you were our chill baby. That's still true. BUT, you can throw fits like I've never seen a baby do before. Case in point is the video below. You like to rock on the rocking frog. See what happens when you don't get your way in .2 seconds.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowFullScreen='true' webkitallowfullscreen='true' mozallowfullscreen='true' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dySf-j-lTkP5Kny-XUkFtX6fpBKRHY8WDb1voPrr8yOeY_rARiFGT6qoMQDTE59kVJ6axIdhIH-_SvJEJiU' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' FRAMEBORDER='0' /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I think we have a new drama queen in the making.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M7Quqn4S4Mg/Ux96MPApxEI/AAAAAAAAEPQ/bqSHJfSTRG0/s1600/DSC_0841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M7Quqn4S4Mg/Ux96MPApxEI/AAAAAAAAEPQ/bqSHJfSTRG0/s1600/DSC_0841.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">an attempt at a good sister pic</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w_mCC5R54FA/Ux96XDVuUSI/AAAAAAAAEPs/KzJFRIjqhsU/s1600/DSC_0889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w_mCC5R54FA/Ux96XDVuUSI/AAAAAAAAEPs/KzJFRIjqhsU/s1600/DSC_0889.JPG" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">snot face wants to see the camera.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">You are wearing a size 4 diaper and 12 month clothing. We go to the doctor on Thursday to see how long and chunky you are...kidding. You really aren't that chubby of a baby. You are perfect and squishy!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gGxbp65Ogt8/Ux9yOjKZJoI/AAAAAAAAEOQ/7Jh87K0C4e0/s640/blogger-image--1308435697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gGxbp65Ogt8/Ux9yOjKZJoI/AAAAAAAAEOQ/7Jh87K0C4e0/s320/blogger-image--1308435697.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pulling up to your knees</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ySQsZoY5fTw/Ux9yaKyI3XI/AAAAAAAAEOw/7_9dr2gbglk/s640/blogger-image-1098961755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ySQsZoY5fTw/Ux9yaKyI3XI/AAAAAAAAEOw/7_9dr2gbglk/s320/blogger-image-1098961755.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">playing with the cute baby in the mirror. I adore this picture.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VJsSu4MRR2k/Ux96XAhGkEI/AAAAAAAAEPw/g-XkTQuti5c/s1600/DSC_0887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VJsSu4MRR2k/Ux96XAhGkEI/AAAAAAAAEPw/g-XkTQuti5c/s1600/DSC_0887.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">beautiful</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Lv8YYH63Leo/Ux9yRT4i1LI/AAAAAAAAEOY/klZ3DmGoqsg/s640/blogger-image--1884296903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Lv8YYH63Leo/Ux9yRT4i1LI/AAAAAAAAEOY/klZ3DmGoqsg/s320/blogger-image--1884296903.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">feeding yourself. a morning ritual.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-YqJ1R8nLB_I/Ux9ydXQwC4I/AAAAAAAAEO4/1MWh0Pnnw_I/s640/blogger-image--1971197559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-YqJ1R8nLB_I/Ux9ydXQwC4I/AAAAAAAAEO4/1MWh0Pnnw_I/s320/blogger-image--1971197559.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">snot faced and swinging in the backyard</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-tcDrezZgyt8/Ux9yL4NjKHI/AAAAAAAAEOI/Q46eOrnLdmQ/s640/blogger-image-222579542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-tcDrezZgyt8/Ux9yL4NjKHI/AAAAAAAAEOI/Q46eOrnLdmQ/s320/blogger-image-222579542.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chloe likes to push you in the swing.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />We sure do love you, Mackenzie.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><br /><br /></div></div></div>Kimberly Granthamhttps://plus.google.com/109488428214883132247noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486458842344132128.post-83616084958291743102014-02-12T09:21:00.003-06:002014-02-12T09:21:32.625-06:00Mackenzie - 8 MonthsMackenzie,<br /><br />Today is February 11, 2014 and you are 8 months old today! It's been a rough month for you little girl. You have kept an ear infection through one round of antibiotics and are currently on a second round. You were sick most most of your entire 7th month.<br /><br />On top of that, you are getting your top teeth. I'm pretty sure all four are trying to come in at the same time. You already have two lower teeth. Considering all the pain that you're in, you've been a pretty happy baby. You are fussier than normal the last week or so though. I think it's mostly teeth because we never even knew your ears were bothering you. We only found out you had an ear infection because we took Chloe to the doctor and they heard you coughing so they wanted to look in your ears.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cwIf4P0zvJQ/UvuKKE9JDhI/AAAAAAAAENI/q0Cc5zgwyFc/s1600/DSC_0789_date.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cwIf4P0zvJQ/UvuKKE9JDhI/AAAAAAAAENI/q0Cc5zgwyFc/s1600/DSC_0789_date.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8 Months old</td></tr></tbody></table><br />You can get yourself into a sitting position now and you started crawling today. You don't crawl very far, but you will be zooming around soon. Chloe's pretty excited about it. But I suspect her tune will change once she realizes that it's more difficult to keep you away from her things. She's pretty good at sharing, but on her terms.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OXDBxQ7M90M/UvuKIi1WiQI/AAAAAAAAEM4/fn2HmM1gkGY/s1600/DSC_0813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OXDBxQ7M90M/UvuKIi1WiQI/AAAAAAAAEM4/fn2HmM1gkGY/s1600/DSC_0813.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You babble a lot now. Lots of da-da-da and ba-ba-ba. We are trying to get you to clap and wave.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You are much more interested in eating now. You like carrots, sweet potatoes and oatmeal with pears. You don't really like any of the meats...pureed meat sounds disgusting.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Your favorite toy is a squeaky monkey teether.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You love to cuddle. As much as you like to be alone in your room for quiet time, you like to be near someone when you are with us. You prefer that someone to be Chloe, but you settle for mom or dad.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-9P_ZzkAH9hE/UvuP9o3Gz5I/AAAAAAAAENY/7xVddHYREW0/s640/blogger-image--225769817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-9P_ZzkAH9hE/UvuP9o3Gz5I/AAAAAAAAENY/7xVddHYREW0/s320/blogger-image--225769817.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chloe dressed MJ up in her best</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You can still fit into 9 month clothes, but are quickly outgrowing the onesies because you are so long. You are wearing a size 3 diaper, but I think we are about to move up to 4.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-3f_CW9jLi70/UvuRA9G5UoI/AAAAAAAAENw/3c_k7Bz89Wo/s640/blogger-image-1084351853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-3f_CW9jLi70/UvuRA9G5UoI/AAAAAAAAENw/3c_k7Bz89Wo/s320/blogger-image-1084351853.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chloe is always asking to take pictures with her sister.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You take two naps a day and you are champ at putting yourself to sleep for naps and bed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-LJAbvO1b7gE/UvuQApImojI/AAAAAAAAENg/RBIaHwqG3s8/s640/blogger-image--1921312815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-LJAbvO1b7gE/UvuQApImojI/AAAAAAAAENg/RBIaHwqG3s8/s320/blogger-image--1921312815.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">love these girls</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You love, love, love bath time! We are letting you and Chloe take baths together because you sit up so well now. It makes bath time so much easier on this mom. haha. Plus, you girls like to splash together.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-R2L-CErvk3I/UvuQDtXwMbI/AAAAAAAAENo/AqNfULSiR98/s640/blogger-image-355038294.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-R2L-CErvk3I/UvuQDtXwMbI/AAAAAAAAENo/AqNfULSiR98/s320/blogger-image-355038294.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">bath time prep</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You still look like you are going to be our little blondie and you have just as much (if not more) hair than Chloe did. It's harder to see your hair because it's lighter than hers was, but there is a lot of it. You have a bit of a reverse mullet. It's longer at the front, top of your head. We used to style it into a faux hawk, but it's too long to stand up now.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rTd9TvQWVFU/UvuKI_hbmZI/AAAAAAAAEM8/bDTeBY88yuM/s1600/DSC_0827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rTd9TvQWVFU/UvuKI_hbmZI/AAAAAAAAEM8/bDTeBY88yuM/s1600/DSC_0827.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">see my teeth?</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We are enjoying getting to know you, MJ, Kenzie Kenz.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Kimberly Granthamhttps://plus.google.com/109488428214883132247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486458842344132128.post-73595746952008129772014-02-10T09:57:00.000-06:002014-02-10T10:07:11.824-06:00Granthamania Eurotrip 2014 - Part 3 - Amsterdam, NetherlandsTwo days in Paris and we set out for Amsterdam. We opted for a train, again. The train rides were really great. When we boarded the train in London, we had to go through security like we were taking an airplane. We didn't go through any security at all in Paris. We just got on the train and went to Amsterdam. I guess they have open borders because we didn't have to have our passports checked either. It was just as easy as driving from Texas to Oklahoma.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vltAATt8FUA/UvPXGQo_0oI/AAAAAAAAEMs/OtvuvU4FRkk/s1600/amsterdam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vltAATt8FUA/UvPXGQo_0oI/AAAAAAAAEMs/OtvuvU4FRkk/s1600/amsterdam.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amsterdam!</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-3Cel3i7a68U/UvPRuZERm5I/AAAAAAAAEKQ/hspbhIt3bPE/s640/blogger-image-808717981.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-3Cel3i7a68U/UvPRuZERm5I/AAAAAAAAEKQ/hspbhIt3bPE/s320/blogger-image-808717981.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Train ride from Paris to Amsterdam<br />probably in Belgium&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Below is our hotel room in Amsterdam. We stayed at the Luxor. It was two streets away from the red light district and it was great. We did have a mix up and paid for an extra night because they had another guest with our same last name. But, they realized the mistake and put us in a larger room and removed the charge.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-LVc15xEmtzM/UvPPwniM_dI/AAAAAAAAEI8/CXga756zuDs/s640/blogger-image-1654496135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-LVc15xEmtzM/UvPPwniM_dI/AAAAAAAAEI8/CXga756zuDs/s320/blogger-image-1654496135.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by far the nicest hotel we stayed at</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I know these pictures don't do this city any justice. I would love to go back in the spring or summer. This is the oldest city that we visited architecturally. They said a lot of the buildings date back to the 1500s. It amazes me that this city is so well laid out for it's age.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-42I8VvFTHWo/UvPUdWMbhMI/AAAAAAAAEKs/XadS5br9nTg/s640/blogger-image--587602152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-42I8VvFTHWo/UvPUdWMbhMI/AAAAAAAAEKs/XadS5br9nTg/s320/blogger-image--587602152.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">beautiful...everywhere.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />We rarely encountered moving vehicles. Most everyone walks or bikes. There are bikes lined up along all the housing and the bridges. I have NEVER seen so many bikes. And junky bikes, too. They don't seem to care what the bike looks like...as long as it has aired up tires and a functioning chain, they <strike>drive</strike>&nbsp;pedal it. Many of the bikes were "customized" with spray paint or other decorations.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jjt6ivVncbM/UvPWxvRRJfI/AAAAAAAAELQ/VcXMrXQZhN4/s1600/DSC_0716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jjt6ivVncbM/UvPWxvRRJfI/AAAAAAAAELQ/VcXMrXQZhN4/s1600/DSC_0716.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the bridge in the background is lined with bikes</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">They said most of the people here own boats. Apparently in the summer, everyone gets out on their boats to hang out. I saw a picture of it in our hotel and you can't see the water for all the boats in the canals.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-5AJk5lKtLrI/UvPQfuosorI/AAAAAAAAEJs/fyByNHfUuZo/s640/blogger-image-1107358100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-5AJk5lKtLrI/UvPQfuosorI/AAAAAAAAEJs/fyByNHfUuZo/s320/blogger-image-1107358100.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">they say everyone owns a boat and that's the thing to do in summer</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Below is the Anne Frank house. We toured it. People were so quiet throughout the tour. I was pretty impressed with how reverent everyone was. The two stories that the Frank family occupied with another family was much larger than I expected. It still wasn't big enough to be comfortable for 2 years of hiding without any access to the outside world! It was four rooms split between 2 floors. The staircase to get to their hiding spot was more of a ladder and it was still hidden behind the bookshelf. They had the posters and pictures that Anne pasted on the wall of her bedroom on display in her room. I haven't read the diary since 7th grade, but I plan to read it again soon. One thing that really touched me was an interview they did with her dad, Otto. He said that he and Anne were close, but when he read the diary he was touched by how insightful, wise and affected she was by everything (I'm really paraphrasing here...). He said his conclusion was that no parent ever truly knows their child. I suspect that's true of every relationship, but it made me a little sad.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sQ4SRIoprd0/UvPWxos1G3I/AAAAAAAAELU/dKRxraN8yTI/s1600/DSC_0718.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sQ4SRIoprd0/UvPWxos1G3I/AAAAAAAAELU/dKRxraN8yTI/s1600/DSC_0718.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anne Frank House</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Hq7V3SNEmQ8/UvPRru5Lh6I/AAAAAAAAEKI/tqip2eC4eYo/s640/blogger-image--2076541799.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Hq7V3SNEmQ8/UvPRru5Lh6I/AAAAAAAAEKI/tqip2eC4eYo/s320/blogger-image--2076541799.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">bikes everywhere</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">According the riverboat tour we took, Amsterdam has a housing shortage. So all along the canals you will see house boats. The windows were open on some of them and we could see inside them. I wish I could have toured one. They had one available for tour, but we didn't see it.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dkA2HgDrcdM/UvPW11NprsI/AAAAAAAAELc/Ov2fHliM-_w/s1600/DSC_0721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dkA2HgDrcdM/UvPW11NprsI/AAAAAAAAELc/Ov2fHliM-_w/s1600/DSC_0721.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">see the houseboat?<br />&nbsp;Amsterdam has a housing shortage, so people live on house boats.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-vPFPjqhbtNw/UvPP2lheo6I/AAAAAAAAEJM/eDELuyOTgS8/s640/blogger-image--563863412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-vPFPjqhbtNw/UvPP2lheo6I/AAAAAAAAEJM/eDELuyOTgS8/s320/blogger-image--563863412.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">such a great city!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I tried mayonnaise on french fries (apparently a Dutch thing). I like mayo, but I still needed a little ketchup mixed with it to make it taste the way I like. :) I thought it was funny how big the mayo packets were.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-BrWxzAABaYA/UvPP8jlPLpI/AAAAAAAAEJc/8z6vIrgGNTo/s640/blogger-image--1363009572.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-BrWxzAABaYA/UvPP8jlPLpI/AAAAAAAAEJc/8z6vIrgGNTo/s320/blogger-image--1363009572.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">they put mayonnaise on their fries</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Below you can see the dancing ladies. They are quite crooked. Can you see how they lean? Mark had noticed a lot of buildings leaning even before the tour guide pointed this out. We kind of wondered how their building codes are and if anyone has ever inspected this stuff. But I suppose if these buildings have been around for hundreds of years, it's probably a non-issue.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yoh64quQRPY/UvPW8s9IwOI/AAAAAAAAEL8/mg4D4RciP88/s1600/DSC_0741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yoh64quQRPY/UvPW8s9IwOI/AAAAAAAAEL8/mg4D4RciP88/s1600/DSC_0741.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the dancing ladies of Amsterdam...don't Google that<br />You'll get a lot of stuff about the red light district</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O4qCDuT8aIw/UvPWwuaQstI/AAAAAAAAELA/t7QndocXMzE/s1600/DSC_0715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O4qCDuT8aIw/UvPWwuaQstI/AAAAAAAAELA/t7QndocXMzE/s1600/DSC_0715.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We mostly just walked around in Amsterdam. We stopped at a few bars to drink an Amstel or a Heineken. We ate burgers, but we never tried an apple pie. That's a big regret for me. I think they put cheese on them. Not sure about that.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-cLkLMIDzDIM/UvPRxc4gW-I/AAAAAAAAEKY/2wnsWl5WcD0/s640/blogger-image--1235042887.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-cLkLMIDzDIM/UvPRxc4gW-I/AAAAAAAAEKY/2wnsWl5WcD0/s320/blogger-image--1235042887.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at night from an outdoor patio at the bar</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-iCeZqxiosMI/UvPUgSUdSnI/AAAAAAAAEK0/CJjEHdNV4eg/s640/blogger-image-1557693053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-iCeZqxiosMI/UvPUgSUdSnI/AAAAAAAAEK0/CJjEHdNV4eg/s320/blogger-image-1557693053.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">on the bar patio<br />they have heaters outside, so you can still enjoy the outdoors in the cold weather</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I took this picture from the riverboat tour. There are so many bridges in Amsterdam. Around 1500!</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D8W4flWPxR0/UvPXDn-N9zI/AAAAAAAAEMY/ZFLkbUX0gy0/s1600/DSC_0747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D8W4flWPxR0/UvPXDn-N9zI/AAAAAAAAEMY/ZFLkbUX0gy0/s1600/DSC_0747.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">seven bridges<br />can't see all seven from this picture, but they go back as far as the eye can see</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7sVZhOjxfAA/UvPXDJXPIDI/AAAAAAAAEMQ/Pz7QZmT8jXM/s1600/DSC_0743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7sVZhOjxfAA/UvPXDJXPIDI/AAAAAAAAEMQ/Pz7QZmT8jXM/s1600/DSC_0743.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">first of the seven bridges</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We did walk around the red light district. I didn't take any pictures. I didn't want to get yelled at by one of the hookers. Pictures are frowned upon. It wasn't nearly as "seedy" as most people probably think. Of course we were never walking around super late. Maybe midnight was the latest we were there. The women stand in the windows in their underwear. A lot of them were applying their makeup or messing with their phones while we walked around. We did see a few of them opening doors to explain their rates to the men who were interested. I'm not going to lie. It bothers me that there is a market for this and I question whether the all the women involved are there voluntarily. But I had to see what this red light district was all about. I saw parents walking down the street with their kids in tow and nobody even glanced at the hookers in the windows. The women weren't revealing anything more than a swimsuit would allow.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We went into one coffee shop called the Bulldog. It was decorated like the inside of a tree with toadstools everywhere. I'm pretty sure that would mess with your head if you were tripping (hallucinating). That's not my thing.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ev7CGXddK2E/UvPQcVBWcFI/AAAAAAAAEJk/cXLIcAS-DpY/s640/blogger-image--1844452023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ev7CGXddK2E/UvPQcVBWcFI/AAAAAAAAEJk/cXLIcAS-DpY/s320/blogger-image--1844452023.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a Heineken cheers to our last day.</td></tr></tbody></table>Amsterdam was a great way to end our trip. We had been running around like crazy in London and Paris to try and see as much as possible. Since Amsterdam is much smaller and a lot more laid back, we were able to rest a little more. It truly was our favorite place.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We left Amsterdam after two days. We had to fly into Iceland first then on to New York. I was worried about getting stuck in Iceland. But, we got stuck in New York instead. I'm surprised they let us land. New York already had nearly a foot of snow.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-JBSxzEwhUVc/UvPPzbUPmXI/AAAAAAAAEJE/sEjO05K1fpA/s640/blogger-image--1486063618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-JBSxzEwhUVc/UvPPzbUPmXI/AAAAAAAAEJE/sEjO05K1fpA/s320/blogger-image--1486063618.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's Iceland out there.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Mark and I raced to get to our terminal to change our flight to the earliest flight the next day. That was an adventure that resulted in me screaming (no exaggeration) at a NYC bus driver. Long story short...they took us out of the airport and to a subway station. Then they threatened to not return us to the airport...so I freaked. Don't mess with a mom trying to get home to see her babies. And yankees, you are no match for an angry TEXAN. haha</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tjU8l3vV5p8/UvPRohGZ-YI/AAAAAAAAEKA/nJ-tAOErt8I/s640/blogger-image--1236831196.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tjU8l3vV5p8/UvPRohGZ-YI/AAAAAAAAEKA/nJ-tAOErt8I/s320/blogger-image--1236831196.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">JFK airport...snowing like it's the North Pole</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We made it back to the airport. Got the earliest flight for the next day and spent the night on the airport floor. It wasn't fun, but we made it back to Austin the next day! Thanks to my mom for watching the girls and extra day!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4ANXUpBcTzw/UvPP5pvEIjI/AAAAAAAAEJU/QpLUj_DBLAw/s640/blogger-image-1263038827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4ANXUpBcTzw/UvPP5pvEIjI/AAAAAAAAEJU/QpLUj_DBLAw/s320/blogger-image-1263038827.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our bed for the night. JFK airport floor. Terminal 5 baggage claim.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">For the record, I was mad at that bus driver and I do wish I had been able to remain calm. But I was really impressed and appreciative of all the New Yorkers who stayed at work to help all the weary and stranded travelers. The people at Jet Blue were so helpful and friendly and they were worried about getting home to their kids for the night, too. But they didn't take it out on us. I'm always impressed by how friendly/nice people in New York are...I feel like you always hear how rude they are. Other than the bus driver, that has never been my experience.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0_7M7X5_KwM/UvPR0WKSxfI/AAAAAAAAEKg/QbyPG5dHn1c/s640/blogger-image-1658442255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0_7M7X5_KwM/UvPR0WKSxfI/AAAAAAAAEKg/QbyPG5dHn1c/s320/blogger-image-1658442255.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">airport the next morning.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Kimberly Granthamhttps://plus.google.com/109488428214883132247noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486458842344132128.post-13145931987549938532014-02-04T17:32:00.003-06:002014-02-06T12:11:39.452-06:00Granthamania Eurotrip 2014 - Part 2 - Paris, France<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After two days in London, we were off to Paris. We opted for a train ride on the Eurostar. We wanted to see countryside and travel on a train.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ag5PK3CNIrw/UuwDmuFY1_I/AAAAAAAAEBY/P92-8XdNcyc/s1600/blogger-image-1567973935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ag5PK3CNIrw/UuwDmuFY1_I/AAAAAAAAEBY/P92-8XdNcyc/s320/blogger-image-1567973935.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">train ride from London to Paris<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ln3ewNwZmjs/UuwD3hPgFRI/AAAAAAAAEB4/mwBfLCZqS3Q/s1600/blogger-image-386134871.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ln3ewNwZmjs/UuwD3hPgFRI/AAAAAAAAEB4/mwBfLCZqS3Q/s320/blogger-image-386134871.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">taken in the cab on the way to hotel</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;">We only had two days in Paris so we hit the ground running! Cab ride to hotel, dropped off bags and started exploring!<br /><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-326Og6XSlIE/UuwDOIA-1YI/AAAAAAAAEAo/k4UOBJDnENA/s1600/blogger-image-1655271654.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="102" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-326Og6XSlIE/UuwDOIA-1YI/AAAAAAAAEAo/k4UOBJDnENA/s320/blogger-image-1655271654.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">another very small hotel room. Hotel <br /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">Malar.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xHyW-ThZtkA/UuxKPdh-rkI/AAAAAAAAECQ/eUBVEqKb_-k/s1600/DSC_0572.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xHyW-ThZtkA/UuxKPdh-rkI/AAAAAAAAECQ/eUBVEqKb_-k/s1600/DSC_0572.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the red canopy in the bottom right is where we ate lunch.<br />it was a cute little corner cafe.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The next few pictures are of the Eiffel Tower. I can't believe how much I loved that structure. I really thought it would be over-rated and so cliche. In fact, Mark and I drank a bottle of wine and ate some macaroons on a park bench in front of the tower on our last night in Paris.<br /><br />I read somewhere; although, I can't cite the source that the Eiffel Tower only took two years to build. The tallest structure before that was the Washington Monument and it took 30 years to complete. How is that for a feat of engineering?<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8b4qcZoDgxs/UuxKcyMCKBI/AAAAAAAAEDA/xlj--3I60cQ/s1600/DSC_0593.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8b4qcZoDgxs/UuxKcyMCKBI/AAAAAAAAEDA/xlj--3I60cQ/s1600/DSC_0593.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eiffel Tower was erected for the 1889 World's Fair</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2C1A_tDSuE4/UuxKTad5e_I/AAAAAAAAECg/dlfQ_mbx5QY/s1600/DSC_0574.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2C1A_tDSuE4/UuxKTad5e_I/AAAAAAAAECg/dlfQ_mbx5QY/s1600/DSC_0574.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">most visited paid monument in the World</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8MeREeP3S2s/UuxKQJvQvkI/AAAAAAAAECY/Y-lDdrhVyxg/s1600/DSC_0576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8MeREeP3S2s/UuxKQJvQvkI/AAAAAAAAECY/Y-lDdrhVyxg/s1600/DSC_0576.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ppbi0MHMh_w/UuxKY0K9GnI/AAAAAAAAECs/c9-5NiX1YWo/s1600/DSC_0577.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ppbi0MHMh_w/UuxKY0K9GnI/AAAAAAAAECs/c9-5NiX1YWo/s1600/DSC_0577.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MZPRLXgfpGY/UuxKYsHJh7I/AAAAAAAAECo/h_8PdNnyFBU/s1600/DSC_0581.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MZPRLXgfpGY/UuxKYsHJh7I/AAAAAAAAECo/h_8PdNnyFBU/s1600/DSC_0581.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9tLw94e33FI/UuxKaf2HriI/AAAAAAAAEC4/K1XT8oU9FQ0/s1600/DSC_0582.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9tLw94e33FI/UuxKaf2HriI/AAAAAAAAEC4/K1XT8oU9FQ0/s1600/DSC_0582.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b96cS9xtIW8/UuxKc8Ej0XI/AAAAAAAAEDE/vqr8omtBwmE/s1600/DSC_0587.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b96cS9xtIW8/UuxKc8Ej0XI/AAAAAAAAEDE/vqr8omtBwmE/s1600/DSC_0587.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ag5PK3CNIrw/UuwDmuFY1_I/AAAAAAAAEBY/P92-8XdNcyc/s640/blogger-image-1567973935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ag5PK3CNIrw/UuwDmuFY1_I/AAAAAAAAEBY/P92-8XdNcyc/s640/blogger-image-1567973935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ln3ewNwZmjs/UuwD3hPgFRI/AAAAAAAAEB4/mwBfLCZqS3Q/s640/blogger-image-386134871.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ln3ewNwZmjs/UuwD3hPgFRI/AAAAAAAAEB4/mwBfLCZqS3Q/s640/blogger-image-386134871.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-31H3q4q-Mho/UuwDE4-6AEI/AAAAAAAAEAQ/aGHkNMNU3wM/s640/blogger-image-1316870099.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-XYu28NNYb2c/UuwDQ1HGoCI/AAAAAAAAEAw/qXAs609DgYw/s640/blogger-image--1176076726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-XYu28NNYb2c/UuwDQ1HGoCI/AAAAAAAAEAw/qXAs609DgYw/s640/blogger-image--1176076726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-g8uNm0Q28m4/UuwD6ZiJgjI/AAAAAAAAECA/YonymmPlM60/s640/blogger-image-109254752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-g8uNm0Q28m4/UuwD6ZiJgjI/AAAAAAAAECA/YonymmPlM60/s640/blogger-image-109254752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-e4AKbz-MgRs/UuwDLNEKN-I/AAAAAAAAEAg/czixtpwlGiU/s640/blogger-image--1520401408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-e4AKbz-MgRs/UuwDLNEKN-I/AAAAAAAAEAg/czixtpwlGiU/s640/blogger-image--1520401408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-LKKsU1LkNgw/UuwDxv4r4HI/AAAAAAAAEBo/TKhZMHgA_ew/s640/blogger-image--376194084.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-LKKsU1LkNgw/UuwDxv4r4HI/AAAAAAAAEBo/TKhZMHgA_ew/s640/blogger-image--376194084.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-daanzBchfNc/UuwDaCuS49I/AAAAAAAAEA4/MvjtXwXJQeo/s640/blogger-image--1716597875.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-daanzBchfNc/UuwDaCuS49I/AAAAAAAAEA4/MvjtXwXJQeo/s640/blogger-image--1716597875.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-VGrR-1ztUbU/UuwDdgV5-jI/AAAAAAAAEBA/m0T0e62_rYY/s640/blogger-image--38636132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-gFJFgofOlis/UuwDgnj-_LI/AAAAAAAAEBI/1jBzKIz5Hxo/s640/blogger-image-1170357727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-gFJFgofOlis/UuwDgnj-_LI/AAAAAAAAEBI/1jBzKIz5Hxo/s640/blogger-image-1170357727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-V6CsPYwxmQs/UuwD0cl4IEI/AAAAAAAAEBw/hB0gJhVTVHE/s640/blogger-image--720907998.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-V6CsPYwxmQs/UuwD0cl4IEI/AAAAAAAAEBw/hB0gJhVTVHE/s320/blogger-image--720907998.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying some wine at a cafe.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We spent most of our time strolling around the streets of Paris. I haven't looked at a map since we returned, but I suspect we didn't make it very far. We didn't even make it to Montmartre where we would have been able to see the Moulin Rouge.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-e4AKbz-MgRs/UuwDLNEKN-I/AAAAAAAAEAg/czixtpwlGiU/s1600/blogger-image--1520401408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-e4AKbz-MgRs/UuwDLNEKN-I/AAAAAAAAEAg/czixtpwlGiU/s320/blogger-image--1520401408.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">on the second level of the Eiffel Tower</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-LKKsU1LkNgw/UuwDxv4r4HI/AAAAAAAAEBo/TKhZMHgA_ew/s1600/blogger-image--376194084.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-LKKsU1LkNgw/UuwDxv4r4HI/AAAAAAAAEBo/TKhZMHgA_ew/s320/blogger-image--376194084.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view from 2nd level of the Eiffel Tower</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PDtd0oHtFR8/UuxKd4g4NYI/AAAAAAAAEDU/6lioePe37gI/s1600/DSC_0595.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PDtd0oHtFR8/UuxKd4g4NYI/AAAAAAAAEDU/6lioePe37gI/s1600/DSC_0595.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.wallforpeace.com/mur.html#">The Wall for Peace</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In Epcot's Paris pavilion, they have a French bakery where they serve cream puffs. This Paris Brest was the closest thing I could find and it was pretty close...and delicious. I would have gained 10 pounds in two days while we were in France if we hadn't been walking so much.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-gFJFgofOlis/UuwDgnj-_LI/AAAAAAAAEBI/1jBzKIz5Hxo/s320/blogger-image-1170357727.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">took me forever to find a cream puff<br />turns out they call them Paris Brest...not sure it is exactly the same as a cream puff<br />close enough</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-VGrR-1ztUbU/UuwDdgV5-jI/AAAAAAAAEBA/m0T0e62_rYY/s320/blogger-image--38636132.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tuileries Garden</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-daanzBchfNc/UuwDaCuS49I/AAAAAAAAEA4/MvjtXwXJQeo/s320/blogger-image--1716597875.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Louvre</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-XYu28NNYb2c/UuwDQ1HGoCI/AAAAAAAAEAw/qXAs609DgYw/s320/blogger-image--1176076726.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eiffel Tower</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-31H3q4q-Mho/UuwDE4-6AEI/AAAAAAAAEAQ/aGHkNMNU3wM/s640/blogger-image-1316870099.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-326Og6XSlIE/UuwDOIA-1YI/AAAAAAAAEAo/k4UOBJDnENA/s640/blogger-image-1655271654.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />Everything was so much larger than I expected in France. Mark and I joked that whoever said everything is bigger in Texas has never been to France. For example, the Arc de Triomphe is so much larger in person than it looks in pictures. Just look at the picture below and you can see some people standing directly in front of the monument. See how small they are?<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-T1wtDydTndk/UuwDIHI2dDI/AAAAAAAAEAY/VfCn1Joh1xA/s640/blogger-image--1840756670.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-T1wtDydTndk/UuwDIHI2dDI/AAAAAAAAEAY/VfCn1Joh1xA/s320/blogger-image--1840756670.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My mom requested this photo...It's from the movie Forget Paris<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arc_de_Triomphe">Arc de Triomphe</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Directly across from the Eiffel Tower, was what we think was a military academy of some sort. The next two pictures are from those buildings. It looked like they had been sprayed with bullet holes and shrapnel. We assume it was from WWII. We also saw a picture of Hitler and the Nazis standing directly front of this building with the Tower in the background. It was kind of surreal to think that we were in the same city and country that had such an impact on history.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CXitwe1wKSE/UuxKhj4D9hI/AAAAAAAAEDk/6ZXbjxsfQB8/s1600/DSC_0599.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CXitwe1wKSE/UuxKhj4D9hI/AAAAAAAAEDk/6ZXbjxsfQB8/s1600/DSC_0599.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">bullet holes...we assume from WWII</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HIl_NuyRxfU/UuxKiucqClI/AAAAAAAAEDs/W8bIVKk38zM/s1600/DSC_0601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HIl_NuyRxfU/UuxKiucqClI/AAAAAAAAEDs/W8bIVKk38zM/s1600/DSC_0601.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looked like more shrapnel markings</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This brings me to my next set of pictures. The Army Museum <span style="font-family: inherit;">(<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Musée de l'Armée). This is where Les Invalides (Napoleon's tomb) is located. We didn't see the entire museum. We focused mostly on WWI and WWII history. It was interesting, but there weren't many explanations written in English, so we missed a lot. It was really interesting to see the story of the invasion on the beaches of Normandy from another country's perspective. Here in the States we focus on our role in that invasion...of course...and I'm not saying that's wrong. But, when we were in this museum there wasn't a whole lot of attention paid to it. You have to think that's because it was such a small part of what France had actually experienced during the Nazi invasion. I don't think they were downplaying the significance of it, just trying to give all aspects of the war their attention. I also don't remember covering in my classes how many other countries played a role in Normandy. Canada, the UK, the Free French Forces (who I had never heard of ) were all there. According to Wikipedia,&nbsp;</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">&nbsp;"</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_Armed_Forces_in_the_West" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Polish Armed Forces in the West">Polish forces</a>&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">also participated, as well as contingents from Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, and the Netherlands." </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And that's not covering the air forces that were helping.&nbsp;</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Just like Mark and I have different experiences of the same trip, different countries have different experiences of the same war. It was educational to see from another country's 'eyes.'</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">So while we were at the museum, we had to go see Napoleon's tomb. I mean really...how could you not?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xWPGPEEMh18/UuxKpMnPxCI/AAAAAAAAEEE/_E-YfRFoqv8/s1600/DSC_0605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xWPGPEEMh18/UuxKpMnPxCI/AAAAAAAAEEE/_E-YfRFoqv8/s1600/DSC_0605.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Invalides">Les Invalides</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Unlike the man himself, his tomb was huge! It was beautiful. As a disclaimer, he isn't the only person entombed here. There is a complete list on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Invalides">Wikipedia</a>.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_ncSUGW2aJ4/UuxKv1uConI/AAAAAAAAEEU/uA9gSRIeWq8/s1600/DSC_0608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_ncSUGW2aJ4/UuxKv1uConI/AAAAAAAAEEU/uA9gSRIeWq8/s1600/DSC_0608.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dome above Napoleons casket</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ymi3u0NYEOU/UuxKuvYfxiI/AAAAAAAAEEM/GF8eXDcSWsY/s1600/DSC_0610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ymi3u0NYEOU/UuxKuvYfxiI/AAAAAAAAEEM/GF8eXDcSWsY/s1600/DSC_0610.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3XpZB9TJjlc/UuxKw2D3S9I/AAAAAAAAEEc/Atuh8KPhL5Y/s1600/DSC_0612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3XpZB9TJjlc/UuxKw2D3S9I/AAAAAAAAEEc/Atuh8KPhL5Y/s1600/DSC_0612.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Napoleon is inside this...it is huge.<br />It is the Russian Doll of caskets. &nbsp;There are caskets within each other.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here are some more pictures of the Arc. We didn't go to the top for viewing. I wanted to get my view from Paris on top of the Notre Dame, but we opted to do the second level of the Tower instead.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6Bc30JPRLWo/UuxK5qL_wEI/AAAAAAAAEE8/ud_BNH_kSBM/s1600/DSC_0623.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6Bc30JPRLWo/UuxK5qL_wEI/AAAAAAAAEE8/ud_BNH_kSBM/s1600/DSC_0623.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lcEYyOzEfvc/UuxK-DKqdMI/AAAAAAAAEFM/2M7vMcvSBt0/s1600/DSC_0624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lcEYyOzEfvc/UuxK-DKqdMI/AAAAAAAAEFM/2M7vMcvSBt0/s1600/DSC_0624.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Sx0wnYialok/UuxLAfzefTI/AAAAAAAAEFU/bAT994Joso0/s1600/DSC_0628.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Sx0wnYialok/UuxLAfzefTI/AAAAAAAAEFU/bAT994Joso0/s1600/DSC_0628.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A great shot of the tower lit up at night from across the Seine river. It was twinkling, which the picture doesn't capture</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LrjblCGRrh8/UuxLC6G9I5I/AAAAAAAAEFk/cFXW_ZFYvKk/s1600/DSC_0633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LrjblCGRrh8/UuxLC6G9I5I/AAAAAAAAEFk/cFXW_ZFYvKk/s1600/DSC_0633.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Notre Dame! We took a cab from our hotel to see this cathedral. When we pulled up, I was disappointed. From the outside, it was underwhelming for me. I'm really not sure what I expected because it's a beautiful church. Mark and I decided to go inside since it was free to enter. Let me tell you...I am so very glad we did! I didn't take a lot of pictures because I was so busy absorbing every inch of this magnificent structure.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8T9OrAFqUuI/UuxLDEla29I/AAAAAAAAEFg/CPYkv_5fHqY/s1600/DSC_0643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8T9OrAFqUuI/UuxLDEla29I/AAAAAAAAEFg/CPYkv_5fHqY/s1600/DSC_0643.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ipq2vxhRZEY/UuxLNQU6dsI/AAAAAAAAEGM/Sa-84H_WG8U/s1600/DSC_0649.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ipq2vxhRZEY/UuxLNQU6dsI/AAAAAAAAEGM/Sa-84H_WG8U/s1600/DSC_0649.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">one of the many stained glass windows</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ziBJQ_Bngro/UuxLLsyZBoI/AAAAAAAAEF8/nWsZVvCURFI/s1600/DSC_0650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ziBJQ_Bngro/UuxLLsyZBoI/AAAAAAAAEF8/nWsZVvCURFI/s1600/DSC_0650.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the stained glass at the front of the church</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NXFK-lcY53s/UuxLM8JhhqI/AAAAAAAAEGI/j4WuvS0sVPg/s1600/DSC_0651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NXFK-lcY53s/UuxLM8JhhqI/AAAAAAAAEGI/j4WuvS0sVPg/s1600/DSC_0651.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">alter...if that's what you call it? not sure</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uWRVXad8IJ0/UuxLQpWddAI/AAAAAAAAEGU/tn0xMdJ4L_w/s1600/DSC_0652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uWRVXad8IJ0/UuxLQpWddAI/AAAAAAAAEGU/tn0xMdJ4L_w/s1600/DSC_0652.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">gargoyles</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X67VuJ0YL8M/UuxLTuygMUI/AAAAAAAAEGc/HkYyFq6sDG4/s1600/DSC_0657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X67VuJ0YL8M/UuxLTuygMUI/AAAAAAAAEGc/HkYyFq6sDG4/s1600/DSC_0657.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this is just a quaint little French area&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8c989Vl1Vt8/UuxLVHL2OGI/AAAAAAAAEGs/OKuWRvU_dFQ/s1600/DSC_0653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8c989Vl1Vt8/UuxLVHL2OGI/AAAAAAAAEGs/OKuWRvU_dFQ/s1600/DSC_0653.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FTvYhSESDAY/UuxLUxYxYTI/AAAAAAAAEGo/WFnJ0rgApBI/s1600/DSC_0659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FTvYhSESDAY/UuxLUxYxYTI/AAAAAAAAEGo/WFnJ0rgApBI/s1600/DSC_0659.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fxEJtMi-ZMs/UuxLZ03H1BI/AAAAAAAAEG0/q6gYjj7nFmc/s1600/DSC_0660.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fxEJtMi-ZMs/UuxLZ03H1BI/AAAAAAAAEG0/q6gYjj7nFmc/s1600/DSC_0660.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NUH5n7_A4Ig/UuxLbeHyFYI/AAAAAAAAEG8/ihnsEIKTAp8/s1600/DSC_0663.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NUH5n7_A4Ig/UuxLbeHyFYI/AAAAAAAAEG8/ihnsEIKTAp8/s1600/DSC_0663.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this is totally French, right?</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sainte-Chapelle">Saint-Chapelle</a> was very beautiful. I'm not sure it was worth the money to get it. Unless you consider that they are currently working to restore this beautiful piece of history and your entrance fee is obviously helping with that. It dates back to the 1200's!<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aKQKPSzr6uE/UuxLlmHlvLI/AAAAAAAAEHk/K7Htcu3at48/s1600/DSC_0668.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aKQKPSzr6uE/UuxLlmHlvLI/AAAAAAAAEHk/K7Htcu3at48/s1600/DSC_0668.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">stained glass from Sainte-Chapelle</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DYtFxqWt8_8/UuxLkuMIAwI/AAAAAAAAEHY/x8hVipqBuT0/s1600/DSC_0669.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DYtFxqWt8_8/UuxLkuMIAwI/AAAAAAAAEHY/x8hVipqBuT0/s1600/DSC_0669.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">more Sainte-Chapelle</td></tr></tbody></table>We didn't actually tour the Louvre. I had seen some of the art work on tour in Houston years ago. Since we didn't have much time and the Louvre could take days to see a decent portion, we decided to just marvel at the outside.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gQPH21gUJZQ/UuxLhIE0lGI/AAAAAAAAEHM/4P3Wz4YB3dA/s1600/DSC_0674.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gQPH21gUJZQ/UuxLhIE0lGI/AAAAAAAAEHM/4P3Wz4YB3dA/s1600/DSC_0674.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Louvre</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a7OC5E-5SaY/UuxLlcUp15I/AAAAAAAAEHg/_HNtkMekhBE/s1600/DSC_0680.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a7OC5E-5SaY/UuxLlcUp15I/AAAAAAAAEHg/_HNtkMekhBE/s1600/DSC_0680.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Louvre is huge. This isn't even 1/3 of the building.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FqnixdMx1V4/UuxLtNlMh7I/AAAAAAAAEH0/aRry5GkYnwc/s1600/DSC_0685.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FqnixdMx1V4/UuxLtNlMh7I/AAAAAAAAEH0/aRry5GkYnwc/s1600/DSC_0685.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We stopped at Love lock bridge. We bought a lock from some stranger, wrote our names, the names of our girls and the year. Then we snapped the lock on the bridge and threw the key into the Seine.&nbsp;</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-haAWzT9H8n0/UuxLumVfOWI/AAAAAAAAEIE/wf2joIDSGeQ/s1600/DSC_0697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-haAWzT9H8n0/UuxLumVfOWI/AAAAAAAAEIE/wf2joIDSGeQ/s1600/DSC_0697.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love lock bridge.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y14yPjd8oIo/UuxLuH5UxHI/AAAAAAAAEIA/JtES-FEvQ4w/s1600/DSC_0702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y14yPjd8oIo/UuxLuH5UxHI/AAAAAAAAEIA/JtES-FEvQ4w/s1600/DSC_0702.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See our love lock? Chloe and MJ are written on the back.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tXDyarcmTBQ/UuxLzeqVpZI/AAAAAAAAEIM/I0EQIbq9aY0/s1600/DSC_0711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tXDyarcmTBQ/UuxLzeqVpZI/AAAAAAAAEIM/I0EQIbq9aY0/s1600/DSC_0711.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark was tired from all the walking.</td></tr></tbody></table>Paris was such a fun city. I always swore that I never wanted to visit. But, I'm so glad I did. I hope to go back someday.<br /><br />I do have to share a sweet story about Mark. We were walking down the street and a woman (probably 40-50) was coming out of a restaurant/bar to get into a cab. She fell because she was pretty hammered. Mark walked over, helped her up and into the cab. She never said a word to him or even looked at him. But it was so sweet! We laughed about it a lot. Not her falling...just the fact that she didn't say anything. She probably had to go home and wash the "American" off her...haha.Kimberly Granthamhttps://plus.google.com/109488428214883132247noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486458842344132128.post-92025859656190878652014-01-30T13:20:00.003-06:002014-01-30T13:40:25.761-06:00Granthamania Eurotrip 2014 - Part 1 - London, England<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Dp0JW9BDEtg/UuqiuEM0WLI/AAAAAAAAD_w/-FEvrMy5aYA/s640/blogger-image--1934387442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Dp0JW9BDEtg/UuqiuEM0WLI/AAAAAAAAD_w/-FEvrMy5aYA/s640/blogger-image--1934387442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-XTrQa83lylM/Uuqig9dyvJI/AAAAAAAAD_I/HT8I3HwEHYA/s640/blogger-image-214126891.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-XTrQa83lylM/Uuqig9dyvJI/AAAAAAAAD_I/HT8I3HwEHYA/s640/blogger-image-214126891.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-fcvAiHx6JQU/UuqimMwBY4I/AAAAAAAAD_Y/XWThDlX93C8/s640/blogger-image--881431860.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-fcvAiHx6JQU/UuqimMwBY4I/AAAAAAAAD_Y/XWThDlX93C8/s640/blogger-image--881431860.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">**I'm sure there are so many typos in this post. I'm in such a hurry to get this post up and I'm really pressed for time with two kids these days. So forgive me for the lack of attention to detail.**</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I want to document our trip before I forget so many details. So the next few posts will be about the trip that Mark and I took to Europe January 14-21st.</span><br /><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-517-2FVXZ5E/UumpUfbnuSI/AAAAAAAAD70/jcVfvbrdmCE/s1600/DSC_0481.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-517-2FVXZ5E/UumpUfbnuSI/AAAAAAAAD70/jcVfvbrdmCE/s1600/DSC_0481.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mark was scheduled to go to Dublin, Ireland and London, England for work in January. Because he would already be over there, we decided to book a ticket for me to meet him after his work was finished. His work was complete on January 14th. I flew out on January 14th on an overnight flight to meet him on Wednesday January 15th. I flew into London, England on Wednesday morning and took the train from the airport to Paddington Station.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6W_0iSaoUtA/UuqlamejE4I/AAAAAAAAD_4/iVFwPUk0aP4/s1600/DSC_0434.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6W_0iSaoUtA/UuqlamejE4I/AAAAAAAAD_4/iVFwPUk0aP4/s1600/DSC_0434.jpg" height="400" width="265" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">view from the Hotel window...a very cute street!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v_ZFngt0XR8/Uuqle2gCx0I/AAAAAAAAEAA/-aGcbGtSsgo/s1600/DSC_0435.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v_ZFngt0XR8/Uuqle2gCx0I/AAAAAAAAEAA/-aGcbGtSsgo/s1600/DSC_0435.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Castle built for Anne Boleyn</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-lpTwtsHTrQo/UuqijhRTMPI/AAAAAAAAD_Q/mn5IgFm97kg/s640/blogger-image--1193549693.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-lpTwtsHTrQo/UuqijhRTMPI/AAAAAAAAD_Q/mn5IgFm97kg/s320/blogger-image--1193549693.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-nXLlb_kZp9o/UuqieM-dLII/AAAAAAAAD_A/U2pihuqt0yA/s640/blogger-image--1486384089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-nXLlb_kZp9o/UuqieM-dLII/AAAAAAAAD_A/U2pihuqt0yA/s320/blogger-image--1486384089.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">i have no idea..just wanted to show the landscape of London</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From Paddington, I hopped a taxi to our hotel which was completely unnecessary since our hotel was in walking distance. I didn't know that and the cab driver was unsure of our where our hotel was, too. Live and learn. Mark met me at the hotel...he had to switch hotels when we was finished with his work portion of the trip.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-x1qnoUdcyMk/UuqibWXB5sI/AAAAAAAAD-4/gmtlntP1UUI/s640/blogger-image--1882211026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-x1qnoUdcyMk/UuqibWXB5sI/AAAAAAAAD-4/gmtlntP1UUI/s320/blogger-image--1882211026.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Aquarium and the<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Eye"> London Eye</a><br />It was closed while we were in London, so we didn't get to ride.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-2eHNQzjaMPg/Uuqio6JauGI/AAAAAAAAD_g/EZJRro7XNkU/s640/blogger-image--1108202242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-2eHNQzjaMPg/Uuqio6JauGI/AAAAAAAAD_g/EZJRro7XNkU/s320/blogger-image--1108202242.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">hideous blue rooster statue that we thought was funny</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We stayed at a Days Inn for 49 Pounds a night. It wasn't too bad either. I mean it wasn't the Ritz, but it was clean, warm and had a private bathroom which is the kicker in Europe.</span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-umvIpQ18vdE/UuqirblCOEI/AAAAAAAAD_o/BBooK96Kz9Q/s640/blogger-image-510585453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-umvIpQ18vdE/UuqirblCOEI/AAAAAAAAD_o/BBooK96Kz9Q/s320/blogger-image-510585453.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">From one of the pub windows.&nbsp;</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first day in London we just roamed around and tried to see all the big sights. We knew with only two days in each city that we wouldn't have enough time to do a lot. We wanted a taste of each city (London, Paris &amp; Amsterdam).</span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-fcvAiHx6JQU/UuqimMwBY4I/AAAAAAAAD_Y/XWThDlX93C8/s1600/blogger-image--881431860.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-fcvAiHx6JQU/UuqimMwBY4I/AAAAAAAAD_Y/XWThDlX93C8/s320/blogger-image--881431860.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">on the damp streets of London</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The second day we took a tour of London on a double-decker, red bus. I had a great time seeing the city and we learned a little, but I think the tour could have given a little more information. It wasn't as thorough as Chicago's river tour. Although to be fair, London has hundreds of years more history to share than Chicago. In that respect, I'm sure those tours are very difficult to put together.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LX0md9QDqWk/Uumj9Y5YmVI/AAAAAAAAD6s/FRiwkxWOj6k/s1600/DSC_0445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LX0md9QDqWk/Uumj9Y5YmVI/AAAAAAAAD6s/FRiwkxWOj6k/s1600/DSC_0445.jpg" height="400" width="265" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.lockhatters.co.uk/">Lock &amp; Co</a>.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">oldest hatters in England, responsible for the bowler hat...made them for Charlie Chaplin</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zLfjCRXYEsM/UumkYneJy3I/AAAAAAAAD7c/gcCFMJTyqp0/s1600/DSC_0473.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zLfjCRXYEsM/UumkYneJy3I/AAAAAAAAD7c/gcCFMJTyqp0/s1600/DSC_0473.jpg" height="400" width="265" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Tower">Victoria Tower</a> on&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Westminster">The Palace of Westminster</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This was an amazing site!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Cbu4xS8bcEg/UumpW95b53I/AAAAAAAAD78/7F7aIUbD4TQ/s1600/DSC_0485.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Cbu4xS8bcEg/UumpW95b53I/AAAAAAAAD78/7F7aIUbD4TQ/s1600/DSC_0485.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Big Ben...I think it was recently renamed Elizabeth Tower.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I'm going to stick with Big Ben.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--glsA3XV6W8/Uumqx6nO4XI/AAAAAAAAD8E/DUVGLxoaSc8/s1600/DSC_0480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--glsA3XV6W8/Uumqx6nO4XI/AAAAAAAAD8E/DUVGLxoaSc8/s1600/DSC_0480.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Magnificent!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c74byhB0c48/UumpTd_6ntI/AAAAAAAAD7s/VCOVVVDNHPI/s1600/DSC_0483.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c74byhB0c48/UumpTd_6ntI/AAAAAAAAD7s/VCOVVVDNHPI/s1600/DSC_0483.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The highlight of London for me was Big Ben/The Palace of Westminster and the Tower of London. For the record, I do think that seeing the Crown Jewels (which are housed at the Tower of London) is overrated. There was no wait to see them since we went in the off-season. But, if I stood in line for any length of time to see some gold and a few crowns...I would have been a little upset with myself for wasting valuable time. I don't want that to sound disrespectful to any British folks and I'm sure it does. I'm sure there are things they feel the same about here...maybe the Liberty Bell or the Declaration of Independence. I will say that I've never seen jewels as large as the ones on the crown. I'm sure I never will, again. So there is that.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pBjiMVPQxyA/UumkKhdp-QI/AAAAAAAAD7E/PNQjELWFK7s/s1600/DSC_0453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pBjiMVPQxyA/UumkKhdp-QI/AAAAAAAAD7E/PNQjELWFK7s/s1600/DSC_0453.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_Rock_Cafe">Hard Rock</a>. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I thought it was funny that they made a huge deal that it originated in London; NOT AMERICA.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">It was funnier when my mom looked it up and found out it was founded by two AMERICANS in London.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Buckingham palace wasn't too impressive either. (I mean look up Kinsington Palace or Windsor Castle and you can see what I mean). Compared to those places, it looks like a grey box. That being said, I didn't see the inside and I'm sure (like a lot of things in Europe...like, Notre Dame...more on that later) that it is breathtaking.</span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Dp0JW9BDEtg/UuqiuEM0WLI/AAAAAAAAD_w/-FEvrMy5aYA/s320/blogger-image--1934387442.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Buckingham Palace</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jvtUjzULM1g/UumkK0W1UDI/AAAAAAAAD7I/TOZsfiwg61w/s1600/DSC_0459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jvtUjzULM1g/UumkK0W1UDI/AAAAAAAAD7I/TOZsfiwg61w/s1600/DSC_0459.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellington_Arch"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Wellington Arch</span></a></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p-HrEQFVbJs/UumkJfOQeGI/AAAAAAAAD64/nrDbIC8N5XM/s1600/DSC_0462.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p-HrEQFVbJs/UumkJfOQeGI/AAAAAAAAD64/nrDbIC8N5XM/s1600/DSC_0462.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Wellington Statue</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-XTrQa83lylM/Uuqig9dyvJI/AAAAAAAAD_I/HT8I3HwEHYA/s200/blogger-image-214126891.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="150" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thankfully, there isn't much of a language barrier in England. I think the only confusion we had was regarding restrooms. They call them toilets (we never heard anyone call them a "loo") everywhere we went in Europe. I think 'toilet' sounds kind of gross. (I know that's my own hangup and kind of odd). </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jIbBEG0_xuA/UumkXFxGqrI/AAAAAAAAD7Y/0YAQ_cTorn8/s1600/DSC_0464.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jIbBEG0_xuA/UumkXFxGqrI/AAAAAAAAD7Y/0YAQ_cTorn8/s1600/DSC_0464.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v3U82O51Iho/UumkWT5pD8I/AAAAAAAAD7Q/1_a1pohsOBM/s1600/DSC_0471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v3U82O51Iho/UumkWT5pD8I/AAAAAAAAD7Q/1_a1pohsOBM/s1600/DSC_0471.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was difficult to cross the street. I was continually looking the wrong way, but they do have the direction to look painted on most cross walks so that helped. About the time I got used to looking the correct way for oncoming traffic, we left for Paris. They drive on the same side of the road as the USA so traffic was coming from the way we were accustomed.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gtfVuiEu1JY/UumsvYLY7iI/AAAAAAAAD8U/OsTXARFYeSM/s1600/DSC_0500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gtfVuiEu1JY/UumsvYLY7iI/AAAAAAAAD8U/OsTXARFYeSM/s1600/DSC_0500.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The London Eye</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-izr9gql749Q/Uumsu5bWVAI/AAAAAAAAD8Q/2PMcOCuNmFs/s1600/DSC_0501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-izr9gql749Q/Uumsu5bWVAI/AAAAAAAAD8Q/2PMcOCuNmFs/s1600/DSC_0501.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The London Eye</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Io3PqqGFznA/UumswN2dSGI/AAAAAAAAD8c/k7avzyPNwkg/s1600/DSC_0503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Io3PqqGFznA/UumswN2dSGI/AAAAAAAAD8c/k7avzyPNwkg/s1600/DSC_0503.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Waterloo Station...where we caught the train to Paris</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F3R3SJnq4Vc/Uums0LJ86II/AAAAAAAAD8o/dwmz6XEUI1Q/s1600/DSC_0509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F3R3SJnq4Vc/Uums0LJ86II/AAAAAAAAD8o/dwmz6XEUI1Q/s1600/DSC_0509.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nVY9lv7pfO4/Uums3HCmDXI/AAAAAAAAD84/kaHeNbypPL4/s1600/DSC_0517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nVY9lv7pfO4/Uums3HCmDXI/AAAAAAAAD84/kaHeNbypPL4/s1600/DSC_0517.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">you can see shrapnel markings from the WWII</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O18ESBlAQ74/Uumtz4FbOtI/AAAAAAAAD-o/fGZHclD2_SM/s1600/DSC_0515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O18ESBlAQ74/Uumtz4FbOtI/AAAAAAAAD-o/fGZHclD2_SM/s1600/DSC_0515.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">close up of the shrapnel marks...</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cuD5ZxZZcps/Uums2WRePjI/AAAAAAAAD8w/CZrbZOtVwyA/s1600/DSC_0518.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cuD5ZxZZcps/Uums2WRePjI/AAAAAAAAD8w/CZrbZOtVwyA/s1600/DSC_0518.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I have no idea why I took this, but it looks like a cool place</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hcLp25LJBs4/Uums3pVOipI/AAAAAAAAD88/0UER_-ZuHlE/s1600/DSC_0540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hcLp25LJBs4/Uums3pVOipI/AAAAAAAAD88/0UER_-ZuHlE/s1600/DSC_0540.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Tower Bridge...not London Bridge</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Yrh1dPG2eYc/Uums-y_NOCI/AAAAAAAAD9Q/XQsVH21pOHE/s1600/DSC_0547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Yrh1dPG2eYc/Uums-y_NOCI/AAAAAAAAD9Q/XQsVH21pOHE/s1600/DSC_0547.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_Bridge"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Tower Bridge</span></a></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The following pictures are all of the Tower of London. Probably the oldest thing we saw. Parts of it date back to&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">1078 and William the Conqueror. We tried to take a tour with a Beefeater, but he was a bit obnoxious and we had a hard time understanding him. We left his company and took our own tour. We were able to see the Bloody Tower that housed Anne Boleyn among others. We saw the Crown Jewels. We saw a tree that was used to hang hundreds of "traitors to the crown". We also heard the story of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princes_in_the_Tower">murder of the two princes</a>. Basically a lot of very dark, fascinating history.</span></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Cp-Tj4MseZ4/Uums-eiBUVI/AAAAAAAAD9M/ey7SB8m1PIM/s1600/DSC_0551.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Cp-Tj4MseZ4/Uums-eiBUVI/AAAAAAAAD9M/ey7SB8m1PIM/s1600/DSC_0551.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_London"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">the Tower of London</span></a></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XeiU317YqLE/Uums-BdnYJI/AAAAAAAAD9I/yN11DbmfMWE/s1600/DSC_0552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XeiU317YqLE/Uums-BdnYJI/AAAAAAAAD9I/yN11DbmfMWE/s1600/DSC_0552.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qLmIMw8w-Ko/UumtHCNWvNI/AAAAAAAAD9g/eaozkvM6nrw/s1600/DSC_0553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qLmIMw8w-Ko/UumtHCNWvNI/AAAAAAAAD9g/eaozkvM6nrw/s1600/DSC_0553.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H_z880cNFys/UumtITFy-JI/AAAAAAAAD9s/8elmiOg26i4/s1600/DSC_0554.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H_z880cNFys/UumtITFy-JI/AAAAAAAAD9s/8elmiOg26i4/s1600/DSC_0554.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xhi9iZX4pq4/UumtG0XOErI/AAAAAAAAD9k/7y96MLEGT84/s1600/DSC_0555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xhi9iZX4pq4/UumtG0XOErI/AAAAAAAAD9k/7y96MLEGT84/s1600/DSC_0555.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_dxEeZV7D6U/UumtQgLqgfI/AAAAAAAAD98/JQrcwKco3pE/s1600/DSC_0559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_dxEeZV7D6U/UumtQgLqgfI/AAAAAAAAD98/JQrcwKco3pE/s1600/DSC_0559.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8BzJtekLhQ8/UumtPt8oQhI/AAAAAAAAD94/RdNEw60983A/s1600/DSC_0562.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8BzJtekLhQ8/UumtPt8oQhI/AAAAAAAAD94/RdNEw60983A/s1600/DSC_0562.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">the obnoxious Beefeater</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vdJTWVQ0cI0/UumtP6aWgMI/AAAAAAAAD-A/I6bmaGjTh48/s1600/DSC_0563.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vdJTWVQ0cI0/UumtP6aWgMI/AAAAAAAAD-A/I6bmaGjTh48/s1600/DSC_0563.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">gates to get into the Tower of London.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w_rq-S_zKZk/UumtSnve6yI/AAAAAAAAD-Q/MUgiBoGsmHs/s1600/DSC_0564.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w_rq-S_zKZk/UumtSnve6yI/AAAAAAAAD-Q/MUgiBoGsmHs/s1600/DSC_0564.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wTMF__xOVks/UumtWjf2z3I/AAAAAAAAD-Y/xa60f1lcEdQ/s1600/DSC_0567.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wTMF__xOVks/UumtWjf2z3I/AAAAAAAAD-Y/xa60f1lcEdQ/s1600/DSC_0567.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JfVvcgtsIeY/UumtXMgkj9I/AAAAAAAAD-c/uPxqDKkbX-A/s1600/DSC_0570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JfVvcgtsIeY/UumtXMgkj9I/AAAAAAAAD-c/uPxqDKkbX-A/s1600/DSC_0570.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div>Kimberly Granthamhttps://plus.google.com/109488428214883132247noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486458842344132128.post-15982672661138837902014-01-12T20:52:00.001-06:002014-01-12T20:53:07.121-06:00Mackenzie - 7 monthsMackenzie,<br /><br />Today is January 11, 2014 and you are 7 months old today! You are pure joy, my dear. You have the most amazing disposition. You still rarely cry. Hunger and exhaustion are your triggers. I will say that you have no wind-up. You go from "happy as a clam" to furious in seconds with no warning.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wNPqmzw1Xws/UtNTa9W57dI/AAAAAAAAD6A/6HqeNYQmLjw/s1600/DSC_0435_7months.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wNPqmzw1Xws/UtNTa9W57dI/AAAAAAAAD6A/6HqeNYQmLjw/s320/DSC_0435_7months.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You are not feeling well in this picture. :(</td></tr></tbody></table><br />There is no way to tell right now, but I wouldn't be surprised if you are more of an introvert like me. I maintain that you have your dad's temperament. But you seem to really need your alone time like your mom.<br /><br />You are letting us see more of your personality every single day. It's taken you a while to warm up, but when you did...you didn't hold back. You love to smile now and do it frequently. You laugh a lot, too...mostly at Chloe. You started to say blah, blah, blah last week and are quickly moving on to other consonant sounds. You prefer to practice talking alone in your crib. Once you master the sound, you will talk to us. (Now you may understand more of my reasoning for thinking you may be an introvert.)<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vHjyV7OjIrg/UtNSi8ejLXI/AAAAAAAAD5w/hLu5RPa6Lug/s1600/DSC_0444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vHjyV7OjIrg/UtNSi8ejLXI/AAAAAAAAD5w/hLu5RPa6Lug/s320/DSC_0444.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chloe hurt her arm...we went to the E.R. for X-rays. They say it's not a break.<br />We go to her doc tomorrow for a more thorough exam.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />&nbsp;You have started solids...I think I put that in your last post. We are still only feeding you solids once a day. You really don't seem to like them. I prefer more of a baby-led weaning style. So we are going middle-of-the-road with it. I'll do partially what your pediatrician asked of me and partly what you seem to prefer.<br /><br />You aren't crawling; although, you do scoot backwards. You are really good at pivoting your body and rolling to get what you want. It's so funny! You are sitting up so well now. When you want back down on the ground, you just crash to the floor. You haven't cried yet despite the fact that you've bonked your head on the ground pretty hard doing it. You are a tough nut. But that doesn't surprise me...your sister is, too.<br /><br />Your dad and I are leaving you with Shorty for the first time as an overnight. We will be in Europe. It's so hard to leave you. Especially since you seem to have your first cold. But, you are in great hands. Shorty was the best mom to me...she'll be a fantastic grandma to you.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MC6wQRB7nSU/UtNSjgi-duI/AAAAAAAAD50/4Ci9x6Cn5AY/s1600/DSC_0447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MC6wQRB7nSU/UtNSjgi-duI/AAAAAAAAD50/4Ci9x6Cn5AY/s320/DSC_0447.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />I really feel like we finally connected, Mackenzie. I loved you before I met you. But, it has taken me longer to get to know you. I think part of that is your personality. I think more of it is that I have Chloe to take care of, too. It's a side effect of being baby #2 and not having your mom in your face 24/7 because she's distracted by your older sibling.<br /><br />I love you so much! We all do. You bring so much joy to our lives. Our little family feels so complete with you here.<br /><br /><br />Kimberly Granthamhttps://plus.google.com/109488428214883132247noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486458842344132128.post-68740684498001341612013-12-11T13:04:00.000-06:002013-12-11T13:05:48.874-06:00Mackenzie - 6 monthsMackenzie,<br /><br />It's December 11, 2013 and you six months old today!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eweWH7GQJow/Uqh2EObidWI/AAAAAAAAD3c/KMUP9Wo0MMM/s1600/6mo_words.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eweWH7GQJow/Uqh2EObidWI/AAAAAAAAD3c/KMUP9Wo0MMM/s320/6mo_words.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />You were a whopping 18lbs. 9 oz. today at your doctor appointment. That's 90th percentile and you were 27.5" long which puts you in the 98th percentile. They say you are supposed to double your birth weight by 6 months. I will say you've surpassed that by a good 3 pounds. ha. You are wearing size 3 diapers and they are looking a bit snug. You are wearing 9 month clothing and quickly moving into the 12 month gear.<br /><br />I can hardly believe it's been six short months since you casually and quickly came into our world. You are a joy! You are back to sleeping through the night. 6:30 to 6:30 is a good bet. You nap like a champ! What can I say? You love your sleep! And only on your tummy.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E9DmPWtVpng/Uqh2G4FosOI/AAAAAAAAD3o/CeG0pJO6FI8/s1600/sisters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E9DmPWtVpng/Uqh2G4FosOI/AAAAAAAAD3o/CeG0pJO6FI8/s320/sisters.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I could almost set a watch to your schedule. Which is funny, because I didn't try to get you on a schedule...I didn't have the time or the luxury with having two children. It just happened. If I don't have you in your bed by 6:30, you let me know and VERY LOUDLY that it is time for bed. It's funny, but problematic when we need to be somewhere later in the evening.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bUw1oe4BQ7I/Uqh2GOhHL8I/AAAAAAAAD3k/H6ZB_R4Oy6Y/s1600/dsc_0356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bUw1oe4BQ7I/Uqh2GOhHL8I/AAAAAAAAD3k/H6ZB_R4Oy6Y/s320/dsc_0356.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>You started solids last week. At first you hated it and made awful faces at me every time you took a bite. The past two days you have seemed to really enjoy it. You've had bananas, peas, butternut squash and sweet potato. Your favorite seems to be the squash and the peas. You despise oat cereal and I don't blame you...I'm not going to make you eat it. It smells and looks like cardboard.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hAXoN48P3rs/Uqh2QpqAoxI/AAAAAAAAD34/DGjNSxuydYY/s1600/christmascrd1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hAXoN48P3rs/Uqh2QpqAoxI/AAAAAAAAD34/DGjNSxuydYY/s320/christmascrd1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>You are still all about your sister. You touch her whenever she gets close enough and you will not look at or respond to me or Mark if she is within eye or ear shot.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jc8a0ccyvV4/Uqh2P0oi96I/AAAAAAAAD30/YDq0d-Orsgs/s1600/DSC_0362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jc8a0ccyvV4/Uqh2P0oi96I/AAAAAAAAD30/YDq0d-Orsgs/s320/DSC_0362.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>You are now rolling over from front-to-back and back-to-front easily and often. Your favorite toy is your foot. If you don't have socks or footie pjs on, the foot is in your mouth.<br /><br />You are also quite 'chill' or as I like to loving tell you...a bit lazy. You drool while you eat your bottle &amp; still have to use a slow flow nipple because you like to eat so slow. You can sit up, but you would rather slump over and play with your feet. I can tell you won't be in a hurry to do anything as you get older. Please don't misunderstand. This is wonderful! You are a perfect compliment to our family and exactly what we needed to balance out the mania!<br /><br />We love you, Mackenzie Jewel!<br /><br /><br />Kimberly Granthamhttps://plus.google.com/109488428214883132247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486458842344132128.post-26294110819124936872013-11-11T09:59:00.000-06:002013-11-11T09:59:47.608-06:00Mackenzie - 5 months<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OdoUhx5gm9U/UoDmd17T_mI/AAAAAAAAD2Q/9SzKICvF2So/s640/blogger-image-1598072614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />Mackenzie,<br /><div><br /></div><div>It's November 11, 2013 and you are 5 months old.<br /><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g44nucxZUTQ/UoD6MYo7FdI/AAAAAAAAD2w/8DLiGoQSelc/s1600/DSC_0493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g44nucxZUTQ/UoD6MYo7FdI/AAAAAAAAD2w/8DLiGoQSelc/s320/DSC_0493.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uhYlyw0U7ho/UoD9TQpRq2I/AAAAAAAAD28/k_xOdWCWSCw/s1600/montage.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uhYlyw0U7ho/UoD9TQpRq2I/AAAAAAAAD28/k_xOdWCWSCw/s320/montage.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MJ doesn't seem to thrilled that Chloe jumped into her photo shoot.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>You are starting to engage with us more. We are getting lots of smiles and one or two chuckles. You babble a lot...mostly squeals. You will imitate us if we squeal first.<br /><br /><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-adkUJwBmNhI/UoDmbepNOPI/AAAAAAAAD2I/kdgpObOF0eQ/s640/blogger-image-1937846172.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-adkUJwBmNhI/UoDmbepNOPI/AAAAAAAAD2I/kdgpObOF0eQ/s320/blogger-image-1937846172.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to crawl</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>You only roll from back to front, though you have rolled from front to back. You want to be on your tummy and not your back. You are really trying to figure out crawling. You won't be crawling for a while, but it doesn't stop you from trying. You just really want to chase Chloe down.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>I think I see a tooth coming through your gums. I guess we'll see in a few weeks.</div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-6P53GPjxYOE/UoDmioonXSI/AAAAAAAAD2g/Pf8L7myNh0A/s640/blogger-image-743687258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-6P53GPjxYOE/UoDmioonXSI/AAAAAAAAD2g/Pf8L7myNh0A/s320/blogger-image-743687258.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sleeping at El Arroyo&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>You still haven't started solids. I'm tempted to try them a few weeks early. You are a big girl and recently started waking up to eat in the middle of the night. I wonder if letting you have a few extra calories via solids will help you sleep?</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OdoUhx5gm9U/UoDmd17T_mI/AAAAAAAAD2Q/9SzKICvF2So/s1600/blogger-image-1598072614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OdoUhx5gm9U/UoDmd17T_mI/AAAAAAAAD2Q/9SzKICvF2So/s320/blogger-image-1598072614.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">going to a baby shower for Renee &amp; Stu</td></tr></tbody></table>You are a great napper these days. If you are full and sleepy, I lay you in your crib and you go right to sleep. That's a huge improvement from your sister who refused to nap until she was much older.</div><div><br /></div><div>Speaking of sleep. You sleep on your stomach. **Gasp** I lay you down on your back, but you immediately roll to your side or tummy and fall right to sleep. The doctor told me to leave you be if you rolled to your tummy on your own. &nbsp;</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-j9L4GOv38g4/UoDmgXIgVmI/AAAAAAAAD2Y/MgiXE_Hr60A/s640/blogger-image--1230966552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-j9L4GOv38g4/UoDmgXIgVmI/AAAAAAAAD2Y/MgiXE_Hr60A/s320/blogger-image--1230966552.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">first run</td></tr></tbody></table>We love you, Mackenzie!<br /><br />Just for fun...Chloe at 5 months and MJ at 5 months. The older Mackenzie gets the less I think she resembles Chloe. They have very different eye shapes and noses. Mackenzie has dimples and it seems her mouth is bigger. I know it seems strange that I compare them, but so many people ask me if Mackenzie looks like Chloe did. My response is, "you can tell they are sisters, but they don't look exactly alike." In fact, based on this picture I'm not even sure you can tell they are sisters. ha.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bDkfCa2oD6I/UoD9x1rOeAI/AAAAAAAAD3E/2QxMQ5tb_ss/s1600/chloe_blog5mo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bDkfCa2oD6I/UoD9x1rOeAI/AAAAAAAAD3E/2QxMQ5tb_ss/s320/chloe_blog5mo.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g44nucxZUTQ/UoD6MYo7FdI/AAAAAAAAD20/Fp-iL6kTulI/s1600/DSC_0493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g44nucxZUTQ/UoD6MYo7FdI/AAAAAAAAD20/Fp-iL6kTulI/s320/DSC_0493.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Kimberly Granthamhttps://plus.google.com/109488428214883132247noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486458842344132128.post-52255020774126167692013-11-07T16:45:00.000-06:002013-11-07T16:50:49.150-06:00Halloween 2013I suppose I'll post some of our Halloween festivities. I haven't been and won't be blogging much. I simply don't have the time with two kiddos. Well, I have the time...I just want to use the time for other things. I will be continuing to post MJ's monthly updates. I like going back to look at Chloe's so I owe her (and myself) that. With that said, here is our Halloween:<br><br><br>A few days before Halloween, we carved our pumpkins. Chloe didn't really enjoy it. I should have let her paint a pumpkin instead. She just didn't like the gooey pumpkin innards. Live and learn.<br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dnm9Xeogkng/UnwV6-FQXOI/AAAAAAAAD0w/y139U3iDOQQ/s1600/DSC_0340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dnm9Xeogkng/UnwV6-FQXOI/AAAAAAAAD0w/y139U3iDOQQ/s320/DSC_0340.JPG" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This wasn't as fun as we thought it would be...ha</td></tr></tbody></table><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OhiGcPwgcP0/UnwV52dlmVI/AAAAAAAAD0o/E1xtM6xs8-Q/s1600/DSC_0342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OhiGcPwgcP0/UnwV52dlmVI/AAAAAAAAD0o/E1xtM6xs8-Q/s320/DSC_0342.JPG" width="320"></a></div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VdG43fpnxNA/UnwV5zpiy1I/AAAAAAAAD0s/8lI0rCHYMJw/s1600/DSC_0344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VdG43fpnxNA/UnwV5zpiy1I/AAAAAAAAD0s/8lI0rCHYMJw/s320/DSC_0344.JPG" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MJ chillin'</td></tr></tbody></table><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-prTF9RGBjRY/UnwWIEB_rXI/AAAAAAAAD1I/96IDBXkR6w0/s1600/DSC_0345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-prTF9RGBjRY/UnwWIEB_rXI/AAAAAAAAD1I/96IDBXkR6w0/s320/DSC_0345.JPG" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chloe picked the bat pattern.</td></tr></tbody></table><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--9WktcvBpNs/UnwWHT4NiCI/AAAAAAAAD1A/x6ZObQEMbR0/s1600/DSC_0346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--9WktcvBpNs/UnwWHT4NiCI/AAAAAAAAD1A/x6ZObQEMbR0/s320/DSC_0346.JPG" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark free handed a double T...turned out pretty good!</td></tr></tbody></table><br><br>Chloe chose her own costume this year. She wanted to be the yellow Angry Bird. So I took the liberty of dressing Mackenzie as the pig from the game to compliment Chloe's costume. I know they won't want to do themed costumes for long, so I'm taking advantage now.<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hIwW-gR0V1Q/UnwWH7jXrCI/AAAAAAAAD1E/sDH3KWuO8Xw/s1600/DSC_0348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hIwW-gR0V1Q/UnwWH7jXrCI/AAAAAAAAD1E/sDH3KWuO8Xw/s320/DSC_0348.JPG" width="320"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-suYVFRunRTA/UnwWQM_nZqI/AAAAAAAAD1c/KdDIQT_TqQU/s1600/DSC_0357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-suYVFRunRTA/UnwWQM_nZqI/AAAAAAAAD1c/KdDIQT_TqQU/s320/DSC_0357.JPG" width="212"></a></div><br>My mom came to town to watch Chloe's pre-school parade. So I recruited her as the blue Angry Bird and we passed out candy at the trunk or treat for Chloe's school. I just love Halloween! This was C's first year to really trick or treat. We only let her go to two houses last year. This year, we all over our neighborhood with her friend Kara and her family.<br><br>She was so excited when she went to one of our neighbors' house and he answered the door dressed as a pirate! She told me that she met Captain Hook and he was nice. Oh the world through the eyes of child! It's so magical. I love people like that...they take some time out of their busy lives to brighten the world of others...especially children.<br><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-goOliRJqk-4/UnwWQXkg-HI/AAAAAAAAD1Y/yCOiFAmwlVw/s1600/DSC_0365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-goOliRJqk-4/UnwWQXkg-HI/AAAAAAAAD1Y/yCOiFAmwlVw/s320/DSC_0365.JPG" width="320"></a></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>The back of my car decorated for Trunk or treat! Super fun! I spent $3 on the decor by using dollar store purchases and crafting supplies I already owned.<div><br></div><div><br><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-EzMSDcMitOQ/UnwZRz_ieaI/AAAAAAAAD10/Eceyp0_kZY8/s640/blogger-image-899239755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-EzMSDcMitOQ/UnwZRz_ieaI/AAAAAAAAD10/Eceyp0_kZY8/s640/blogger-image-899239755.jpg"></a></div><br></div></div>Kimberly Granthamhttps://plus.google.com/109488428214883132247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486458842344132128.post-36248918907454902202013-10-11T09:25:00.001-05:002013-10-15T10:31:16.072-05:00Mackenzie - 4 Months<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">**edited&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Mackenzie,</span><br /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">It's October 11, 2013 and you are 4 months old today!</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TmISu0GhaBY/UlgKG1YFqeI/AAAAAAAAD0Q/M53s-SAOv1E/s1600/4months.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TmISu0GhaBY/UlgKG1YFqeI/AAAAAAAAD0Q/M53s-SAOv1E/s320/4months.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4 months old</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Time is flying! 4 months seems too old. In some ways, I'm glad you're getting older because you can play and interact with us more. But, I want you to stay little and squishy and cuddly. Pretty soon, you'll be on the move and I won't be able to hold you like I do now.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l7ArxT9wylI/UlgE0jz50VI/AAAAAAAADzQ/ued5TsWEWHg/s1600/022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l7ArxT9wylI/UlgE0jz50VI/AAAAAAAADzQ/ued5TsWEWHg/s320/022.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">tummy time</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oWFUZJ2kbok/UlgFEEinnGI/AAAAAAAADzg/2tt8cc5OTCQ/s1600/039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oWFUZJ2kbok/UlgFEEinnGI/AAAAAAAADzg/2tt8cc5OTCQ/s320/039.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">more tummy time</td></tr></tbody></table><br />&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">You've learned to roll over from back to front (3.5 months). That's all you would do for about a week...then you discovered your hands and feet. Now you prefer to be on your back playing with your digits. You also now grab rattles and shake them a bit. Everything goes in your mouth!</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">You are funny! You'll just wake up one morning and have a new trick to show us. There isn't any practicing and failing...you just do it. You seem to only attempt things when you are certain you'll accomplish it. Except for crawling. You try really hard to scoot to your sister and it really frustrates you that you can't do it. I think you'll crawl much sooner than Chloe did simply because you want to be near her.</span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kXacqsgsNWQ/UlgFH_sCJjI/AAAAAAAAD0A/6Ifrs3VShLY/s1600/049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kXacqsgsNWQ/UlgFH_sCJjI/AAAAAAAAD0A/6Ifrs3VShLY/s320/049.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pumpkin patch - horse ride</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">You have regressed in sleeping a little. You go to bed at 7, but wake up pretty&nbsp;consistently&nbsp;around 5:30. Not too bad. It's still 10.5 hours of sleep. I just don't like getting up that early.&nbsp;</span></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ydr7hycjlao/UlgFFXExnXI/AAAAAAAADzk/iqSBWPZS4og/s1600/046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ydr7hycjlao/UlgFFXExnXI/AAAAAAAADzk/iqSBWPZS4og/s320/046.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pumpkin patch</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">You haven't started solid food. You probably won't until closer to 6 months. I'll watch you and if you show an interest in eating, we'll try some rice cereal. For now, milk keeps you full.&nbsp;</span></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xnmMw9vvx8Y/UlgFGrZpZtI/AAAAAAAADz0/s12Na5htV8w/s1600/043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xnmMw9vvx8Y/UlgFGrZpZtI/AAAAAAAADz0/s12Na5htV8w/s320/043.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">nap time</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">We've gotten a few giggles from you, but no big belly laughs yet.&nbsp;</span></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2YrAsqgBKKA/UlgE-AWszAI/AAAAAAAADzY/JAt8SQLZTGk/s1600/032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2YrAsqgBKKA/UlgE-AWszAI/AAAAAAAADzY/JAt8SQLZTGk/s320/032.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chloe asked to hold you</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Your favorite thing with the exception of Chloe is to take a bath. You get so excited when I take you into the bathroom and start prepping the water. You just lay in the tub and smile at me the whole time.&nbsp;</span></span></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c4MkQIjrLo0/UlgFG-b3v7I/AAAAAAAADzw/ikEzxMHHirY/s1600/056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c4MkQIjrLo0/UlgFG-b3v7I/AAAAAAAADzw/ikEzxMHHirY/s320/056.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">morning walk...looking up at mom</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">I'm looking for teeth because Chloe started teething around 4/5 months. I don't see anything, but man you are drooling and chewing on your hands a lot.</span></span></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Aa3TZPDqs9w/UlgEMiWFOzI/AAAAAAAADzE/VqLTGMkQgZ4/s1600/DSC_0283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Aa3TZPDqs9w/UlgEMiWFOzI/AAAAAAAADzE/VqLTGMkQgZ4/s320/DSC_0283.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cohen's 5th bday bash</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: #333333;">You are a big girl. </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">You are 15# 11oz (80%) and 26 3/4" long (95+%).</span><span style="color: #333333;">&nbsp;You are wearing 6 and 9 month clothing.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">When we went to the doctor, the nurse practitioner was so excited and spent extra time playing with you. She said your brain is developed like a 6 month old. This is based on the fact that you are grabbing toys with both hands in the middle of your body and pulling them up to your mouth. Apparently the ability to&nbsp;symmetrically use both hands to&nbsp;pull this off is quite an accomplishment for a 4 month old. She says she thinks you probably started seeing color quite early and that she wouldn't be&nbsp;surprised&nbsp;if you crawl and walk early based on your gross motor development. She also said it's no surprise the day you figured out this trick that you stopped rolling over; it takes a lot of work and focus and you are totally engrossed in developing this part of your brain for now. I wish I recorded what she told us word-for-word. It was&nbsp;fascinating.</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">We love your dimples and your reddish/blonde hair!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m5pbY8m1I2k/UlgDZil-IHI/AAAAAAAADy8/Z5USx-k7QHI/s1600/032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m5pbY8m1I2k/UlgDZil-IHI/AAAAAAAADy8/Z5USx-k7QHI/s320/032.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Spider Monkey"</td></tr></tbody></table></span></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">We love YOU, MJ!</span></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">P.S. You are going to have another aunt! Your uncle Josh proposed to Claire this past month.</span></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></span>Kimberly Granthamhttps://plus.google.com/109488428214883132247noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486458842344132128.post-60340185726114987702013-09-11T09:50:00.001-05:002013-09-11T09:50:39.173-05:00Mackenzie - 3 MonthsMackenzie,<br /><br />It's September 11, 2013 and you are 3 months old today! You were exactly 13 weeks yesterday.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3cgyDKWpjnk/UjB9xA1OfeI/AAAAAAAADxo/FpJ-c6aOWFs/s1600/DSC_0223_edit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3cgyDKWpjnk/UjB9xA1OfeI/AAAAAAAADxo/FpJ-c6aOWFs/s320/DSC_0223_edit.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MPMUoKkOuuI/UjB97BtiXvI/AAAAAAAADxw/EqpKvAGfEnw/s1600/montage.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MPMUoKkOuuI/UjB97BtiXvI/AAAAAAAADxw/EqpKvAGfEnw/s400/montage.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The middle photo is MJ watching Chloe jump on the couch out of the corner of her eye...she always watches Chloe.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />You are still sleeping through the night. Every once in a while you'll wake up before 5 with a dirty diaper or wanting to refuel the tank. But, for the most part you sleep from 7-8ish until 6:30. Getting you to sleep is hit or miss. If you aren't gassy and you are full, you'll happily lay in your bed sucking your fist until you fall asleep. If you are gassy? All hell breaks loose in our house.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-P6Pkt26Brcg/UjB_ThS7T7I/AAAAAAAADyE/Aa4oRAV1170/s640/blogger-image--430827475.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-P6Pkt26Brcg/UjB_ThS7T7I/AAAAAAAADyE/Aa4oRAV1170/s320/blogger-image--430827475.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">quiet observation.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Honestly, when you have gas is the only time you are unpleasant. You are the most even-tempered, mild-mannered and quiet baby. You are a quiet observer.<br /><br />You are blowing spit bubbles now. You rolled over once (from front to back) and I totally missed it. You are smiling all the time now. You 'talk' to Chloe a lot. Lots of aaaahhhhs.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-d31_l0979gQ/UjB_WCb98xI/AAAAAAAADyM/CmbBcBRmdFk/s640/blogger-image-2040505083.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-d31_l0979gQ/UjB_WCb98xI/AAAAAAAADyM/CmbBcBRmdFk/s320/blogger-image-2040505083.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She likes the Bumbo!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />You like naps and willingly take them if you aren't working on a new skill. For example when you learned how to bat objects with your fist, you didn't nap for two days. I really do think that these neurological developments interfere with your sleep. I could be wrong, but its seems like you want to practice your new tricks.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3f82GTWjtR8/UjB_YttQMyI/AAAAAAAADyU/A5CO09A9Zf4/s640/blogger-image--191043715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3f82GTWjtR8/UjB_YttQMyI/AAAAAAAADyU/A5CO09A9Zf4/s320/blogger-image--191043715.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chloe made Mackenzie a tent</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />You like to be sitting up looking around. You smile a lot when I pull you into your sitting position. You love your swing and the monkey that hangs from your playmat.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-6vzaHGf21is/UjB_ROITo3I/AAAAAAAADx8/I0DPRXsrekA/s640/blogger-image-1520587586.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-6vzaHGf21is/UjB_ROITo3I/AAAAAAAADx8/I0DPRXsrekA/s320/blogger-image-1520587586.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">first WALK in the jogger...she won't be able to go jogging with me for 3 more months.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />You are a big girl. You are already out of your 3 month clothes for the most part and are wearing 6 months. You are so long that I can't get the 3 month onesies to button. You were in the 98th percentile for height at 2 months and nearly 2 inches longer than Chloe at 2 months...and Chloe is tall. I wonder if you girls are going to be tall as adults. As Shorty likes to tell me, I'll probably be the shortest in our little family. You have to beat 5'9". You can do it!<br /><br />We love you, Mackenzie!<br /><br />*We will never forget. Our thoughts are with the families and friends of those who lost their lives on this day 12 years ago.<br /><br />Kimberly Granthamhttps://plus.google.com/109488428214883132247noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486458842344132128.post-7735869617095525772013-08-11T21:43:00.000-05:002013-08-17T21:44:20.518-05:00Mackenzie - 2 MonthsMackenzie,<br /><br /> It's&nbsp;August 11, 2013 and you are&nbsp;two months old today!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iciiNqv8cpw/UhA0vkaSQ_I/AAAAAAAADw8/5klLbO-MvZ4/s1600/DSC_0281_edit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iciiNqv8cpw/UhA0vkaSQ_I/AAAAAAAADw8/5klLbO-MvZ4/s320/DSC_0281_edit.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />You are sleeping 7-9 hours at night.&nbsp;You go to bed around&nbsp;8pm. and wake up around 5am. You are putting yourself to sleep most nights. You lay in bed quietly and kick until you fall sleep. We have a rough night occasionally. <br /><br />You are smiling now. It takes some work, but you'll do it. You are also cooing more now. I love your little voice and I'm pretty sure we are getting the start of a giggle. <br /><br />You are still enjoying your baths. You've discovered&nbsp;your sister. If Chloe lays next to you on the floor, you'll roll to your side and bat at her with your fist. You really want to reach out and grab her.<br /><br />We go to your two month check up this Thursday and get&nbsp;measurements then. One thing is certain: You are a big girl! <br /><br />You still look like you will have blond hair. Your eyelashes and eyebrows are staying blond, too. You seem to have some of the Swedish heritage from your dad's side. <br /><br />&nbsp;We love you, Mackenzie!Kimberly Granthamhttps://plus.google.com/109488428214883132247noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486458842344132128.post-5574766414038493272013-08-07T09:45:00.000-05:002013-08-07T09:46:20.370-05:00Golden Rule DaysChloe has started school. Preschool that is. It's only two days a week and day one went well. Her teacher said she enjoyed "running around the playground pretending to be a pirate." I think that's awesome! We love pirates around here. As Mike Leach would say, "Swing your Sword" baby girl.<br /><br />I think her favorite time was lunch. She talked about her strawberries and crackers a lot. She didn't say goodbye to me when I left her there. But when I came to pick her up, she yelled "Mommy" in the most excited way. She also had to show Mackenzie to all her friends and teachers.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4ZxY0xTmVaI/UgJZ7-GMbmI/AAAAAAAADvw/k79wKL9fzlE/s1600/DSC_0262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4ZxY0xTmVaI/UgJZ7-GMbmI/AAAAAAAADvw/k79wKL9fzlE/s320/DSC_0262.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JqFZCYcEOnE/UgJZ7upd34I/AAAAAAAADvs/81IsVb5Zod8/s1600/DSC_0253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JqFZCYcEOnE/UgJZ7upd34I/AAAAAAAADvs/81IsVb5Zod8/s320/DSC_0253.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4AtfLXhPpeY/UgJZ-H4NywI/AAAAAAAADv8/3ghNHHWjFfo/s1600/gfam_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4AtfLXhPpeY/UgJZ-H4NywI/AAAAAAAADv8/3ghNHHWjFfo/s320/gfam_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />Mackenzie is now regularly pulling 8-9 hour stretches at night. You don't have to tell me how lucky I am. Both of my girls were excellent sleepers. I'm sure we'll have some regression as growth spurts occur, but I'm happy to sleep more than 3-4 hours at a time with any frequency I can get.<br /><br />She's also doing social smiling now. I have to smile and talk to her for a few minutes, but I always get a smile after a little head bobbing. She will also coo at Chloe to try and get her attention. Chloe is usually too busy to pay her any mind. Though she does pay attention to MJ on her own terms and it usually involved kisses or hand/head caressing.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yOscTZKaxhU/UgJa00M22iI/AAAAAAAADwI/GwndlQerfes/s1600/DSC_0232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yOscTZKaxhU/UgJa00M22iI/AAAAAAAADwI/GwndlQerfes/s320/DSC_0232.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tummy time.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DNEl86ryE1o/UgJa3P5GtfI/AAAAAAAADwY/7vGsmUsNkgo/s1600/DSC_0233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DNEl86ryE1o/UgJa3P5GtfI/AAAAAAAADwY/7vGsmUsNkgo/s320/DSC_0233.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She has a mohawk.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KWYvNa6vs5g/UgJa2fYL2gI/AAAAAAAADwQ/Hn1zZlMcxTM/s1600/DSC_0237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KWYvNa6vs5g/UgJa2fYL2gI/AAAAAAAADwQ/Hn1zZlMcxTM/s320/DSC_0237.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Iwks8IKtxQ0/UgJa5BWM8RI/AAAAAAAADwk/CyhCIVr1TiI/s1600/DSC_0241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Iwks8IKtxQ0/UgJa5BWM8RI/AAAAAAAADwk/CyhCIVr1TiI/s320/DSC_0241.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daddy and Mackenzie playing chase with Chloe.</td></tr></tbody></table>&nbsp;I took the picture of Chloe when she was 6 weeks old. The picture of MJ is 6 weeks also. This was purely coincidental. I think MJ is only one day older than Chloe in her pictures.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KmGe7KnnrX4/UgJa5Qb-JiI/AAAAAAAADwg/e1zvMGIckyk/s1600/chloe_kenzie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KmGe7KnnrX4/UgJa5Qb-JiI/AAAAAAAADwg/e1zvMGIckyk/s320/chloe_kenzie.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">top is Chloe; bottom is MJ</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Kimberly Granthamhttps://plus.google.com/109488428214883132247noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486458842344132128.post-67676971412263947762013-07-26T13:21:00.000-05:002013-07-26T13:21:28.149-05:00Big Announcement(s)<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-mQY6Hds4x2c/UfK3iY4JXKI/AAAAAAAADu8/o4b_Rn5c-a4/s640/blogger-image-2097036809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-mQY6Hds4x2c/UfK3iY4JXKI/AAAAAAAADu8/o4b_Rn5c-a4/s640/blogger-image-2097036809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-RJ1nln-bGLw/UfK3nes0BfI/AAAAAAAADvM/kxyh7FM0pRU/s640/blogger-image-782909413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br /><br />Having a new baby is exciting and nothing can top that, but we do have news that comes awfully close.<br /><div><br /></div><div>But first, I have iPhone picture to share. We baked in honor of our big surprise.<br /><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rf7_CLITY-s/UfK3lP5kYuI/AAAAAAAADvE/E1E9v1nZ_SE/s640/blogger-image--1842101757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rf7_CLITY-s/UfK3lP5kYuI/AAAAAAAADvE/E1E9v1nZ_SE/s320/blogger-image--1842101757.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baking</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-95PXogHYDPs/UfK3f-2R6TI/AAAAAAAADu0/Yf4UqWnndFc/s640/blogger-image--1427776563.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-95PXogHYDPs/UfK3f-2R6TI/AAAAAAAADu0/Yf4UqWnndFc/s400/blogger-image--1427776563.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chocolate Chip Cookies from scratch</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Chloe is taking swimming lessons. She took Mommy and Me when she was around two, but that wasn't really helping her much so we dropped out of the class. This year we signed up for lessons through the city. I'm not involved at all other than walking her to the pool. The class is two weeks long (Monday through Thursday). She just completed her first week. There were no tears! She loves it. If only I could convince her to stop playing on the steps of the pool while the teachers are talking. &nbsp;Three year olds just don't have the same priorities as adults.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-mQY6Hds4x2c/UfK3iY4JXKI/AAAAAAAADu8/o4b_Rn5c-a4/s1600/blogger-image-2097036809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-mQY6Hds4x2c/UfK3iY4JXKI/AAAAAAAADu8/o4b_Rn5c-a4/s400/blogger-image-2097036809.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She loves making silly faces for the camera.</td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-QCsvv-1D7xw/UfK3pjpxdjI/AAAAAAAADvU/qb7vY4NnMQQ/s640/blogger-image--1555122873.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-QCsvv-1D7xw/UfK3pjpxdjI/AAAAAAAADvU/qb7vY4NnMQQ/s320/blogger-image--1555122873.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kenzie and I waiting on Chloe.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-RJ1nln-bGLw/UfK3nes0BfI/AAAAAAAADvM/kxyh7FM0pRU/s1600/blogger-image-782909413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-RJ1nln-bGLw/UfK3nes0BfI/AAAAAAAADvM/kxyh7FM0pRU/s320/blogger-image-782909413.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see the back of Chloe's head.</td></tr></tbody></table>Chloe is starting preschool this fall. Mark's work offers tuition assistance for daycare, so we are going to put her in school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She is super excited. She's been asking to go to school for months now. I think it's because she enjoys Sunday school so much when we actually make it to church. I'm excited for her to be able to play with other kids her age. That's all we are trying to accomplish by enrolling her. She needs more stimulation that I can provide with a new baby at home.<br /><br />This brings me to my announcement...Mark is changing jobs, again. (Thus, the tuition assistance.) We both loved ebay/PayPal. They were a great company to work for and he is sad to leave. But, another opportunity was presented and it was too good to pass up. He will be working for Facebook starting in August! I can't believe that when we started dating that Facebook was a startup in Cambridge, MA. We had just signed up for accounts and had no idea what it would turn into nor that it would be paying our bills some 8 years later. I also can't believe the CEO of Mark's new company is younger than us! Makes me feel old. Anyway, I'm super excited for my husband!</div>Kimberly Granthamhttps://plus.google.com/109488428214883132247noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486458842344132128.post-21012123987660545792013-07-19T10:47:00.001-05:002013-07-19T12:18:42.618-05:00Our life as a family of fourhas been super fun and a little hectic.<br /><div><br /></div><div>We took Mackenzie to her first baseball game.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-t7YYaj3Yigc/UelfNyeAqbI/AAAAAAAADuE/HpEWpcPBRqI/s640/blogger-image--1736829914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-t7YYaj3Yigc/UelfNyeAqbI/AAAAAAAADuE/HpEWpcPBRqI/s400/blogger-image--1736829914.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We went to the pool with some friends.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-B1drbQsiLwg/UelfJB3uOMI/AAAAAAAADt0/iVmWzKUfoBg/s640/blogger-image-1957318865.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-B1drbQsiLwg/UelfJB3uOMI/AAAAAAAADt0/iVmWzKUfoBg/s400/blogger-image-1957318865.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We played dress up. Chloe said she has to "go to the beach in style."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-v-_rzzkJTrc/UelfG0t84LI/AAAAAAAADts/x-8ZFruYo3I/s640/blogger-image--1753089687.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-v-_rzzkJTrc/UelfG0t84LI/AAAAAAAADts/x-8ZFruYo3I/s400/blogger-image--1753089687.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We got our first black eye. I hit Chloe with the shopping cart. Talk about mommy guilt...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-f8G11LkKG74/UelfLYrpgTI/AAAAAAAADt8/_TE7wNs3_uM/s640/blogger-image--678680227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-f8G11LkKG74/UelfLYrpgTI/AAAAAAAADt8/_TE7wNs3_uM/s400/blogger-image--678680227.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This was a few days later...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-IhsT_KZlA1M/UelfCW8FR_I/AAAAAAAADtc/jV8qAlhFPWw/s640/blogger-image--1766520676.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-IhsT_KZlA1M/UelfCW8FR_I/AAAAAAAADtc/jV8qAlhFPWw/s400/blogger-image--1766520676.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We took a nap!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-CamGSIT7-7E/Uelfg1y98nI/AAAAAAAADuU/-7NGkLFBhMs/s640/blogger-image--1274395406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-CamGSIT7-7E/Uelfg1y98nI/AAAAAAAADuU/-7NGkLFBhMs/s400/blogger-image--1274395406.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We went to backyard bible club. Chloe is the one running around and not sitting still with the other kids. In her defense, the club is designed for Kindergarden through 4th grade. She is a little young for it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-pIuGHNmo7Hw/UelfEvMZX6I/AAAAAAAADtk/uf9hLgDro9Y/s640/blogger-image-198779466.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-pIuGHNmo7Hw/UelfEvMZX6I/AAAAAAAADtk/uf9hLgDro9Y/s400/blogger-image-198779466.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We try and play outside.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-zcHi_h5XNqw/UelfeTGSThI/AAAAAAAADuM/dI3yVq7KRDU/s640/blogger-image-727488667.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-zcHi_h5XNqw/UelfeTGSThI/AAAAAAAADuM/dI3yVq7KRDU/s400/blogger-image-727488667.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Kimberly Granthamhttps://plus.google.com/109488428214883132247noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486458842344132128.post-49372726374978012652013-07-11T13:20:00.001-05:002013-07-11T13:20:36.501-05:00Mackenzie - 1 MonthMackenzie,<br /><br />It's July 11, 2013 and you are one month old today! It has been a very busy month. We've had lots of company, your first holiday (Fourth of July) and your first outing (a quick trip to Target).<br /><br />We've also learned a lot about you. I was correct in my assessment of your personality even prior to your birth. You are so very laid back! You are going to be more like your Dad. (Mom and Chloe are more tightly wound). You rarely cry and you sleep a lot. The most difficulty you've given me so far is your disdain for burping. You hate and seem to fight against it so much that it's taken (a few times) three hours to get you back to sleep after a night feeding. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P3kr-HkR3X8/Ud7qp6Qk84I/AAAAAAAADsk/9bvk-NbwfEE/s1600/mj_1month.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P3kr-HkR3X8/Ud7qp6Qk84I/AAAAAAAADsk/9bvk-NbwfEE/s320/mj_1month.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4 weeks 1 day old - 1 month</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Weight - 11# 1oz. (93%)</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Height - 22.5" (96%)</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Head Cir. - 38.5 (96%)</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">You are a healthy girl. You've gained over 3 pounds and grown 2.5 inches in 4 weeks...that has to be painful. I can't believe the change in 3 weeks time.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--7IJahYAGiA/Ud7qwQAUBcI/AAAAAAAADss/epuOXqHwqEI/s1600/DSC_0258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--7IJahYAGiA/Ud7qwQAUBcI/AAAAAAAADss/epuOXqHwqEI/s320/DSC_0258.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">one week old.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />You sleep around 4 hour stretches at night. I'm getting up with you 2-3 times a night. I <i>am</i> looking forward to longer stretches. I think you may have made cooing noises a few times. Until they get more deliberate, it's hard to tell. &nbsp;I can't wait for you to smile. You have the most adorable dimples...like Dad. When you smile they are much more noticeable.<br /><br />You slept through your first bath. I'm not kidding. You didn't open your eyes or cry at all. I couldn't believe it! You seem to really enjoy bath time. You also enjoy tummy time. So much in fact, you fall asleep during it. I'm not sure how you will ever strengthen your neck by sleeping through your exercise! You do have a pretty strong neck already though and can hold your head up for a while before face planting into my chest.<br /><br />We went to the doctor today for your 1 month check up. You received your second Hep B vaccine and you took it like a champ! You only cried for a split second. You are so chill! Your big sister is awfully worried about your boo-boo. Chloe received a doctor prescribed sticker for your pain and suffering.<br /><br />We love you, Mackenzie!<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k8RaNQC7NZU/Ud7q9iYiUEI/AAAAAAAADs0/jytpLKU3O_Y/s1600/gfam_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k8RaNQC7NZU/Ud7q9iYiUEI/AAAAAAAADs0/jytpLKU3O_Y/s320/gfam_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Oklahoma crew with Aunt Ellen (from D.C.) and Uncle Ben (from Alaska).</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gCgkP_B8txA/Ud7rBXgBC2I/AAAAAAAADs8/J3CgKm-LcDc/s1600/DSC_0213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gCgkP_B8txA/Ud7rBXgBC2I/AAAAAAAADs8/J3CgKm-LcDc/s320/DSC_0213.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aunt E spoiling Chloe.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8tegH3Q8rQ8/Ud7rC2E3X4I/AAAAAAAADtE/NEE789WS8jw/s1600/DSC_0207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8tegH3Q8rQ8/Ud7rC2E3X4I/AAAAAAAADtE/NEE789WS8jw/s320/DSC_0207.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Granny didn't want to put Mackenzie down.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4XnbruJA21I/Ud7rD8780EI/AAAAAAAADtM/ZUzJi6UFu20/s1600/DSC_0204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4XnbruJA21I/Ud7rD8780EI/AAAAAAAADtM/ZUzJi6UFu20/s320/DSC_0204.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chloe looks nervous about Uncle Ben holding baby Kenzie.<br />Don't worry Chloe. If he can handle jumping out of a plane, he's capable of holding a newborn.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Chloe has been such a big help. We haven't really seen much regression from her. She did color on the carpet the other day and she has been talking back and giving attitude. But, I'm 95% sure these are unrelated to the new baby. I think it's just her normal 3 year old independence asserting itself. The coloring on the carpet can be attributed to the fact that I can't watch her 100% of the time now and stop it before it happens. The one thing that seems to really upset C is when Mackenzie takes a bath. As far as Chloe is concerned, it's her bathtub. I'm hoping to start bathing them together, soon.<br /><br />If Mackenzie cries, Chloe tells me to 'pick her up' or 'feed her.' If Mark is holding Mackenzie and she cries, Chloe is very concerned that Dad is the reason and tells him to 'stop' or 'leave my sister alone.' C loves showing Mackenzie her toys and talking to her.<br /><br />Having two kids is certainly an adjustment. I think overall we are adjusting well. It helps that Mackenzie is such an easy baby and Chloe's maturity lets her be a tremendous help. &nbsp;I do have a little mommy guilt now that all my time isn't devoted to C. But, I think it makes our 1 on 1 moments so much sweeter.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AG_ppaDRooY/Ud7o28eal4I/AAAAAAAADsE/dbHfnF7iAdg/s1600/DSC_0200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AG_ppaDRooY/Ud7o28eal4I/AAAAAAAADsE/dbHfnF7iAdg/s320/DSC_0200.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love this face!</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GflAQm5FP64/Ud7o4JM-U1I/AAAAAAAADsM/74bRpXr3cnk/s1600/DSC_0201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GflAQm5FP64/Ud7o4JM-U1I/AAAAAAAADsM/74bRpXr3cnk/s320/DSC_0201.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love this face, too!</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lUe0bPDP9bk/Ud7pC9PGvsI/AAAAAAAADsU/51HzjWL7WFg/s1600/DSC_0195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lUe0bPDP9bk/Ud7pC9PGvsI/AAAAAAAADsU/51HzjWL7WFg/s320/DSC_0195.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Similar facial expressions. Sisters for sure!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Kimberly Granthamhttps://plus.google.com/109488428214883132247noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486458842344132128.post-54951856182825013922013-06-18T09:39:00.001-05:002013-06-18T09:39:43.878-05:00A New Addition <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rW3Xb9xf8xY/UcBuUyQZC7I/AAAAAAAADp8/lMmvwppE_v0/s1600/DSC_0198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rW3Xb9xf8xY/UcBuUyQZC7I/AAAAAAAADp8/lMmvwppE_v0/s320/DSC_0198.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div>Mackenzie Jewel has made her appearance. She decided to arrive on her&nbsp;own 5 days before her due date. She took us by surprise to say the least. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p6D04jf_00M/UcBujhy1N-I/AAAAAAAADrE/nByKZRF8Pw4/s1600/DSC_0313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p6D04jf_00M/UcBujhy1N-I/AAAAAAAADrE/nByKZRF8Pw4/s320/DSC_0313.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">June 11, 2013</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">5:51a.m.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">7lbs. 9oz.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">20"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div>Birth Story follows:<br /><br />I started having contractions on Sunday night and we went to labor and delivery where they told me that "contractions that are 10 minutes apart aren't doing anything." They added that they DID think I would be back for the 'real deal' by the end of the week. So all day Monday I sat around having contractions that were between 8 and 15 minutes apart. Since they never became regular and they weren't getting any closer together, I decided that I wasn't going to the hospital because they would likely send me home. <br /><br />Around 2:30a.m., my water broke. Mind you my contractions were still only 8-15 minutes apart. I woke up Mark and told him we needed to head to the hospital. I also added that we probably didn't need to hurry since my contractions were still so far apart. We woke Chloe up, grabbed our bags and headed to the hospital. <br /><br /><em>{Chloe was with us for a bit, until we decided to call Mark's dad to come get her. There was a point where I told Mark. "I love her, but you have to get her out of here." I couldn't focus on managing my pain (I didn't want to scare her) with Chloe in the room. Plus, Mark was having to focus on her and I needed his attention. Furthermore, a three year old has no business in a delivery room (IMO). We didn't really have a plan in place for this type of delivery because Chloe was induced so we weren't thinking in terms of a more urgent birth.}</em><br /><br />They checked me in and got me hooked up to monitors at 3:00a.m. I immediately asked for my epidural. They have to give you one bag of iv fluids before you can get the epi and they also had to run blood work. So we waited...too long. By the time the anesthesiologist arrived, I was ready to have a baby. I told the nurse. The anesthesiologist continued to work his magic. But before the medicine could take effect, we had to call the doctor in the room. It was time. I had a drug free birth...that I DID NOT want. haha. It worked out. Mackenzie was in my arms by 5:51a.m. <br /><br />The part that was the worst was having to wait for the little bit of epi to wear off. It didn't start taking effect until well after Mackenzie made her appearance, but I got enough 'juice' to make me rubber legged for a bit.<br /><br />We left the hospital after one night...as soon as the 36 hour jaundice test was complete they released us. This experience was so much different that the one with Chloe. Her birth was hard on everyone. <br /><br />Mackenzie is one week old today. She is doing fabulous. She sleeps a lot. I know that sounds dumb (what do you expect? newborns sleep), but Chloe NEVER slept. We joke that we were cheated out of a newborn with her because she was so alert from the beginning. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B6S5Mn9U93U/UcBul8PzQ-I/AAAAAAAADrU/pYu6AuwRP_E/s1600/DSC_0298.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B6S5Mn9U93U/UcBul8PzQ-I/AAAAAAAADrU/pYu6AuwRP_E/s320/DSC_0298.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Chloe is in love with her new sister. She tells me all the time how cute Mackenzie is. She talks about her little feet and hands. She tells me to 'put her down.' Which is my cue to lay her on the floor so that Chloe can look at her. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IZtcnfv6eGE/UcBuk3GtqVI/AAAAAAAADrM/_VQ_dXUPI5U/s1600/DSC_0316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IZtcnfv6eGE/UcBuk3GtqVI/AAAAAAAADrM/_VQ_dXUPI5U/s320/DSC_0316.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div>Today is our first day home without help. I have Chloe and Mackenzie all to myself. I actually think it's going to be a great day! <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ArmIufakpEk/UcBuaSI_FgI/AAAAAAAADqU/8_XurJOuwV4/s1600/DSC_0203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ArmIufakpEk/UcBuaSI_FgI/AAAAAAAADqU/8_XurJOuwV4/s320/DSC_0203.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center">Shorty, Chloe and Mackenzie</div><div align="center">&nbsp;</div><div align="center">﻿</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Jh2ddQ-RYJM/UcBuazUZIRI/AAAAAAAADqY/ntxlxTgqKh0/s1600/DSC_0213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Jh2ddQ-RYJM/UcBuazUZIRI/AAAAAAAADqY/ntxlxTgqKh0/s320/DSC_0213.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mark, myself, Chloe and Mackenzie</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DurVYXTK9Jg/UcBui46vbeI/AAAAAAAADq4/CE40jttY7Yw/s1600/DSC_0303.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DurVYXTK9Jg/UcBui46vbeI/AAAAAAAADq4/CE40jttY7Yw/s320/DSC_0303.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Shorty, myself and Mackenzie</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2-ckH4nbVNk/UcBuiwrRtOI/AAAAAAAADq0/zpoe6_Qu3s0/s1600/DSC_0308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2-ckH4nbVNk/UcBuiwrRtOI/AAAAAAAADq0/zpoe6_Qu3s0/s320/DSC_0308.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Josh, Claire and Mackenzie</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HUTdLiHJNek/UcBums4U_DI/AAAAAAAADrY/Y-zOieDHcK4/s1600/DSC_0218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HUTdLiHJNek/UcBums4U_DI/AAAAAAAADrY/Y-zOieDHcK4/s320/DSC_0218.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pop and Mackenzie</div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C0dy3dsfggs/UcBuVGvapRI/AAAAAAAADqE/17ECQ45zcuo/s1600/DSC_0200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C0dy3dsfggs/UcBuVGvapRI/AAAAAAAADqE/17ECQ45zcuo/s320/DSC_0200.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Don-Don and Mackenzie </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jngGs9-4pJA/UcBuYxtXwqI/AAAAAAAADqM/2aUR8MS9Czs/s1600/DSC_0202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jngGs9-4pJA/UcBuYxtXwqI/AAAAAAAADqM/2aUR8MS9Czs/s320/DSC_0202.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Shorty and Mackenzie</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w8N9TtkxAuE/UcBubTpZxnI/AAAAAAAADqk/si4GpTefd-E/s1600/DSC_0243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w8N9TtkxAuE/UcBubTpZxnI/AAAAAAAADqk/si4GpTefd-E/s320/DSC_0243.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Big sister, Chloe!</div>Kimberly Granthamhttps://plus.google.com/109488428214883132247noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486458842344132128.post-51665480278066723412013-06-18T09:07:00.001-05:002013-06-18T09:07:39.011-05:00The Third Birthday Party<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zJMimbRpwZA/UcBo7ERkWdI/AAAAAAAADps/dGd2lNTWJyY/s1600/DSC_0187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zJMimbRpwZA/UcBo7ERkWdI/AAAAAAAADps/dGd2lNTWJyY/s320/DSC_0187.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div>This year was Chloe's first real birthday party. Last year we went to Houston to do some fun family stuff and her first birthday was mostly family. This year we invited Chloe's friends and had an actual party. I won't say it went off without a hitch, but it was successful.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MWL24f6qpBI/UcBo0KLLpgI/AAAAAAAADpE/hzcWf2ZOPIU/s1600/DSC_0161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MWL24f6qpBI/UcBo0KLLpgI/AAAAAAAADpE/hzcWf2ZOPIU/s320/DSC_0161.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />I'm glad we decided to have a party. I really didn't want throw one at first since she won't remember it and because it was only a few weeks before my due date. I knew I would be tired and wasn't sure I was up to the challenge of throwing a party. --Don't get me wrong...we still would have celebrated her birthday. It just would have been much more low-key) After Mark and I discussed it, we realized it was important for Chloe to have a special day to celebrate <i>her</i> since everything will seem to be (at least from her perspective) about the new baby soon.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FSm6l5chSw4/UcBo50cUSHI/AAAAAAAADpc/azAQMLSvE-g/s1600/DSC_0167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FSm6l5chSw4/UcBo50cUSHI/AAAAAAAADpc/azAQMLSvE-g/s320/DSC_0167.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div>We didn't really have a theme for the party. I made cupcakes inside of ice cream cones so that they looked like chocolate and vanilla ice cream. We used pink, purple and green balloons and streamers. Mark rented an inflatable bounce house for entertainment. We were going to set things up outside, but it was raining that morning. Change of plans. Everything was inside and thankfully the rain let up enough for us to set up the bounce house in the driveway.<br /><br />We only had the party for two hours. It was a good amount of time for the under 3 crowd (and probably the parents, too). It was just enough time to play, open presents, eat cake and ice cream and then play a little more.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PR8cSqGYk68/UcBo1mKzkkI/AAAAAAAADpM/v5SfDiWAcS4/s1600/DSC_0172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PR8cSqGYk68/UcBo1mKzkkI/AAAAAAAADpM/v5SfDiWAcS4/s320/DSC_0172.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div>Chloe would have really been happy with only eating cake. After only opening about three presents, she was ready to move on to the next activity. Getting a bunch of presents all at once is overwhelming at her age. She can really only focus on one thing at a time. Of course, now that the party is over she has enjoyed playing with ALL her presents. She just needed some time to truly discover them all.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fGWVAGZIaTM/UcBo3z4SRqI/AAAAAAAADpU/c3DcF8cLFes/s1600/DSC_0174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fGWVAGZIaTM/UcBo3z4SRqI/AAAAAAAADpU/c3DcF8cLFes/s320/DSC_0174.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Our friend, Katie, had some goldfish crackers for her daughter. Chloe spotted them while opening her presents and had to keep taking goldfish breaks after that. It took a while to get through the present opening. ha<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yNwc6wDC3SE/UcBo5j3yOlI/AAAAAAAADpg/2FDLpASnqCE/s1600/DSC_0181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yNwc6wDC3SE/UcBo5j3yOlI/AAAAAAAADpg/2FDLpASnqCE/s320/DSC_0181.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Kimberly Granthamhttps://plus.google.com/109488428214883132247noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486458842344132128.post-58494221100274778002013-06-06T16:40:00.001-05:002013-06-06T21:32:16.352-05:0010 Days until my due DateIt's officially 10 days until my due date. Due dates are such an arbitrary thing. I suppose they pack a little more significance this day in age. Most everybody I know was induced or had a scheduled c-section pretty close to their doctor-determined due date. If we still let people go into labor on their own, then these dates would be even less important since babies, who have no concept of time, come when they are good and ready when left alone. I'm not taking a stance on this hot topic. I will say that I chose my doctor because I trust her and her judgement and believe that everyone should choose a doctor that they trust with their life.<br /><br />I went back to see what I was thinking/feeling during my pregnancy with Chloe around this time...I found this post from 11 days before her due date. It's the <a href="http://www.granthamania.com/2010/05/top-five-and-new-bathroom.html">top 5 things I was looking forward to post-pregnancy</a>.<br /><br />To summarize and compare, here are the top 5 from three years ago and my thoughts on it this time:<br /><br />5. <b>Sleep on my stomach</b> - I still miss this, but the inability to sleep on my stomach hasn't bothered me as much this time. I think it's because we have a better mattress and after having a child you learn to sleep when and however you are able. You don't get to be picky about sleep when you're a mom. I also know that I won't be getting to do this right after I have Mackenzie. It was quite a while before I was able to return to stomach sleeping after having Chloe. Partly because your stomach takes a while to return to it's pre-pregnancy state and partly because milk production and stomach sleeping do not work well together in the beginning.<br /><br />4. <b>Do Yard Work - </b>I've mowed a few times. I've planted a few plants, but our new yard doesn't need as much work as the previous home's.<br /><br />3. <b>Have a Beer </b>- This is still on my list. It's just that the time of year I like to have babies is the best time of year for back porch sitting and beer sipping. I will be imbibing occasionally once the new addition is free and clear of my blood stream. haha<br /><br />2. <b>Move</b> (meaning my body) - I seem to be having less trouble this time. I would like to be able to play on the floor with Chloe and get up without having to grunt or groan.<br /><br />1. <b>Go Running! - </b>I actually ran for most of this pregnancy (including two 5k races...one at 7 months pregnant while pushing Chloe in a jogging stroller). However, I stopped a while back and switched to walking. I really am ready to start running again and am even thinking it might be time to do a half-marathon. I'm not sure that I want to do another full ever...we'll see. I think a 13.1 mile run might be a good goal. Now to find a double jogger.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A note to miss Mackenzie:&nbsp;</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Your parents and sister are getting impatient. Everybody is ready, but you. It's time to go. Let's do this.&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Kimberly Granthamhttps://plus.google.com/109488428214883132247noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486458842344132128.post-43842731016964120042013-05-29T09:03:00.000-05:002013-05-29T09:04:18.932-05:00Things That Keep This Pregnant Lady Up at Night...Sleep is a vain effort these days. Here are a list of things that keep me awake at night:<br /><br /><ol><li>My tiny bladder which is being further compressed by a ~7 pound baby. (I usually have somewhere between 4-8 bathroom breaks a night...usually one an hour).</li><li>Braxton Hicks which lately are seeming more and more like the real deal.</li><li>Heartburn.</li><li>Mackenzie's acrobatics in between aforementioned Braxton Hicks.</li><li>The Cicadas in my backyard.</li><li>The tiny little frogs that chirp all night long.</li><li>My husband snoring...it's gotten worse in the last week. I slept on the couch Tuesday night.</li><li>The little, yappy dogs that live in the house behind ours and like to bark at our fence line. --Not gonna lie. I've had some pretty terrible thoughts on how to resolve this problem. I wouldn't actually follow through with any of them, but a girl can dream...if she could actually fall asleep over the barking.--&nbsp;</li></ol><div>Things that will keep me up in the coming weeks:</div><div><ol><li>Numbers 5 through 8 in the above list.</li><li>A sweet, little baby girl who will be adjusting to life outside my tummy.&nbsp;</li><li>Possibly a big sister who can't sleep through her new sister adjusting.&nbsp;</li></ol><div>I'm so excited! I have about 18 days to go...</div></div><div><br /></div><div>I'm going to go take a nap now.&nbsp;</div>Kimberly Granthamhttps://plus.google.com/109488428214883132247noreply@blogger.com1